A man who helped drain over $1.2 billion from Medicare by preying on elderly Americans thought he could hide overseas—but President Trump’s Justice Department just hauled him back to face justice.
Story Snapshot
- Herbert Leon Kimble is accused of leading a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud ring targeting seniors with needless braces.
- He pleaded guilty in 2019, then fled before sentencing and spent nearly two years hiding in the Philippines.[8]
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) put him on its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list with a $150,000 reward.[6]
- Under Trump’s second term, the FBI captured Kimble overseas and returned him to the United States to face new charges.[8]
How A Call-Center Scam Bled Medicare For Over $1.2 Billion
Federal investigators say Herbert Leon Kimble, a 60-year-old from Chicago, helped run one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes in American history.[4] Starting around 2014, his operation used television and online ads to push seniors to call for “free” or “low-cost” orthopedic braces.[6] Call centers based in the Philippines screened callers to make sure they had Medicare, then pressured them into ordering multiple braces, even when they did not need them.[6]
Once the call centers had a willing customer, they allegedly routed the information to telemedicine doctors who approved prescriptions without real exams or concern for medical need.[1] Durable medical equipment companies then bought those prescriptions and billed Medicare for large sums.[1] Federal officials say the scam generated more than $1.2 billion in Medicare charges and hit thousands of mostly elderly beneficiaries, turning taxpayer-funded healthcare into a money-printing machine for fraudsters.[4]
From Secret Guilty Plea To International Fugitive
Court records show Kimble quietly pleaded guilty on April 4, 2019, in federal court in South Carolina to conspiracy to defraud the United States, healthcare fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, false claims, and kickback offenses.[1] As part of the deal, he cooperated with the government for several years and helped them go after other people involved in the scheme, including dozens of doctors, middlemen, and equipment companies across several states.[10] Investigators described him as the “kingpin” of a billion-dollar Medicare fraud ring that used cheap, imported braces and sham prescriptions.[6]
Even after that plea, the court kept parts of the case sealed while agents moved to arrest more suspects tied to the network.[6] But when it came time to pay the price, Kimble ran. He failed to show up for a key sentencing hearing in 2024, leading a federal judge to issue an immediate arrest order.[7] Prosecutors say he vanished to the Philippines, where he already had call centers and business connections, and lived as a fugitive while elderly victims and taxpayers were left holding the bill.[1]
Trump’s FBI, Most Wanted Fraudsters List, And The Capture In Manila
To track Kimble down, the FBI placed him on its newly created “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list, a flagship effort under FBI Director Kash Patel in President Trump’s second term.[4] The bureau offered up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction, making him one of the most high-profile fraud targets in the country.[6] Agents released wanted posters, social media alerts, and video messages explaining how he helped engineer the massive Medicare scam that targeted seniors.[8]
Earlier this month, that push paid off. Federal officials say Philippine authorities, working with the FBI, arrested Kimble in Manila and turned him over to United States custody.[8] Patel announced that Kimble had been on the run since 2024 after he “allegedly orchestrated a $1.2 billion healthcare fraud conspiracy” against Medicare, and that he is now back on American soil.[9] His capture marks the second major arrest from the new fraudsters list in just over two weeks, signaling a clear shift toward aggressive pursuit of white-collar criminals who target federal programs.[9]
Legal Twist: Voided Plea Deal And New Charges
The legal road ahead is not simple. A South Carolina report notes that a federal judge later voided Kimble’s 2019 plea deal in November 2024, removing its binding force and opening the door to a tougher sentence.[10] A grand jury then handed down a new indictment charging him with three counts of failing to appear in court, tied to the hearings he skipped in 2024.[10] That means, for now, the fraud is again described as “alleged,” even though he once admitted to it in detail.
The FBI captured fugitive fraudster Herbert Leon Kimble in the Philippines and brought him back to the U. S. after he ran a $1.2 billion Medicare fraud scheme.https://t.co/P16vv4rDFW
— WSBT 22 (@WSBT) June 23, 2026
For taxpayers and conservative voters, the message is still clear. Medicare fraud is not victimless paperwork; it steals from hard-working Americans and robs seniors of honest care.[16] Under Trump’s leadership, law enforcement is finally treating massive healthcare theft with the same urgency used against street crime, launching nationwide takedowns and multi-state crackdowns on complex telemedicine and durable medical equipment schemes.[18] Kimble’s capture shows what happens when the government focuses on protecting citizens instead of chasing political agendas.
Sources:
[1] Web – FBI Arrests $1.2 Billion Medicare Fraudster After Two Years on the Run
[4] Web – FBI captures fugitive fraudster in Philippines after running $1.2B …
[6] Web – FBI arrests man accused of committing $1 BILLION in Medicare …
[7] Web – fbi. gov/wanted/most-wanted-fraudsters/herbert-leon- kimble
[8] Web – The Billion-Dollar Fall of Herbert Leon Kimble Empire – Spreaker
[9] Web – FugitiveAlert: Herbert “Herb” Kimble operated an offshore call center …
[10] X – DrOzCMS
[16] Web – Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was arrested in the Philippines after failing …
[18] Web – Arizona Couple Pleads Guilty to $1.2B Health Care Fraud
