A man accused of orchestrating a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud operation has been arrested abroad and brought back to the United States, marking the second capture tied to the FBI’s newly launched “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list.
Federal authorities said 60-year-old Herbert Leon Kimble was taken into custody in the Philippines after allegedly spending nearly two years on the run.
According to prosecutors, Kimble led a healthcare fraud scheme that resulted in more than $1.2 billion in Medicare billing and impacted thousands of beneficiaries, including many older Americans.
Investigators said the scheme relied on call centers to push patients toward orthopedic braces that were not medically necessary.
Kimble pleaded guilty in 2019 to several federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, healthcare fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, submitting false claims, and offering kickbacks and bribes.
Officials said he did not appear for his sentencing hearing in August 2024, leading to a federal arrest warrant and a search that extended beyond U.S. borders.
His arrest comes only weeks after the Justice Department introduced the “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list, a public-facing effort to spotlight defendants accused in significant fraud cases.
Federal officials also announced last week that 47-year-old Said Abdullahi Ereg had been apprehended after being sought on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering.
He was the first person on the list to be taken into custody.
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“In just over two weeks, this is the second Most Wanted Fraudster arrested on the FBI’s list led by Vice President Vance and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.
“Herbert Leon Kimbel was apprehended in the Philippines and is now back in the United States, on the run since 2024 after he allegedly orchestrated a $1.2 billion healthcare fraud conspiracy that targeted the Medicare system — particularly elderly victims — from 2014-2019,” Patel continued.
Patel said the FBI remains committed to carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to crack down on fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.
The arrest comes months after the Justice Department announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division to support Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is led by Vice President JD Vance.
Vance reacted to the arrest on X, crediting the creation of the Most Wanted Fraudsters list with helping investigators track down Kimble.
“Our message is simple,” Vance wrote. “If you defraud the American people, we will find you and we will bring you to justice.”
“Kimble preyed on the elderly for years, costing taxpayers over a billion dollars,” he continued. “The FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task force’s partnership with the FBI to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.”
Vance said authorities had been unable to capture Kimble for months, but that the Philippine government helped locate him after the Justice Department published its list.
“Catching fraudsters is a priority of this Administration, and thanks to our task force’s hard work, one of the country’s most wanted fraudsters will now have to answer for his crimes,” Vance added.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also reacted to the arrest, saying that “fleeing the United States does not mean you can flee justice.”
“Instead of facing accountability for his $1.2 billion Medicare fraud crimes in the United States, Kimble fled to the Philippines hoping to escape justice,” Blanche wrote on X. “That plan failed. Under President Trump’s leadership, this FBI has now apprehended two fraudsters from its recently unveiled Most Wanted Fraudster list in just two weeks, with more to come.”
