FBI Director Announces Arrest of Fraud Suspect
FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed that another individual has been apprehended from the newly established Most Wanted Fraudsters list associated with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
On Saturday, Patel shared on X that Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was arrested in the Philippines through the efforts of the FBI and the Department of Justice task force, which is spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“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,” the director stated. “Herbert Leon Kimble was captured in the Philippines and is now back in the United States after being on the run since 2024. He allegedly organized a $1.2 billion healthcare fraud scheme that targeted the Medicare system, especially affecting elderly victims from 2014 to 2019.”
Kimble, who hails from Chicago, Illinois, is accused of being involved in a significant healthcare fraud conspiracy that focused on the improper marketing and distribution of durable medical equipment, particularly orthopedic braces.
The FBI reported that from 2014 to 2019, he had orchestrated a plan where elderly victims were unnecessarily prescribed orthopedic braces for pain relief by telemedicine providers operating through call centers in the Philippines. Suppliers connected to Kimble would then bill Medicare for reimbursements, leading to over $1.2 billion in charges against Medicare.
On April 4, 2019, in a South Carolina U.S. District Court, he pled guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and submitting false claims.
After failing to attend his sentencing hearing on August 27, 2024, a federal arrest warrant was issued for him that same day due to this failure to appear.
The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information that would lead to his capture and conviction.
Kimble marks the second person from the most wanted list to be arrested recently.
Just last week, Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, was taken into custody after turning himself in, related to a $4 million scheme involving the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ereg operated a grocery and deli in Minneapolis that was associated with Feeding Our Future. He had been issued a federal arrest warrant in January 2024 and was later indicted in June 2024 for conspiracy tied to wire fraud and money laundering.
Currently, six individuals remain at large on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.
