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NEW YORK — After his arrest in the Philippines, the US Department of Justice announced Saturday (Manila time) the capture of one of the most wanted fraudsters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Fugitive Herbert Leon Kimble arrived in the United States after being arrested by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration’s Fugitive Search Unit at a casino in Pasig City.
According to the US DOJ, immigration agents spent several months tracking Kimble’s whereabouts before finally apprehending him.
FBI records show that on April 4, 2019, Kimble pleaded guilty in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina, Columbia Division, to conspiracy charges related to defrauding the United States, making false claims to a federal agency, mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and offering kickbacks and bribes in connection with the scheme. However, Kimble failed to appear for his scheduled sentencing hearing on August 27, 2024. Federal authorities then issued an arrest warrant that same day after charging him with failure to appear.
US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the arrest of Kimble, who is accused of orchestrating more than $1.2 billion in Medicare fraud—one of the largest healthcare fraud cases ever prosecuted in America.
A reward of up to $150,000 had been offered for information leading to Kimble’s arrest.
“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. That plan failed. Under President Trump’s leadership, the FBI has now apprehended two fraudsters from its recently unveiled Most Wanted Fraudsters list in just two weeks, with more to come,” Blanche said in a statement.
Call centers in the Philippines
The FBI said Kimble was involved in the “improper marketing and distribution” of durable medical equipment (DME), particularly orthopedic braces.
It said Kimble ran a “sophisticated call-center-based operation” from around 2014 to March 2019, which acted as the “marketing engine for a nationwide fraud scheme” wherein individuals contacted call centers in the Philippines, DME suppliers who served as billers, and orthopedic brace suppliers or drop shippers.
“His operations focused primarily on initiating contact with Medicare beneficiaries and persuading them to request orthopedic braces for pain relief, which were frequently unnecessary and prescribed through telemedicine consultations that often lacked legitimate medical consultations,” the FBI said.
The prescriptions were sold to DME companies, the designated suppliers would ship the braces, then the DME companies would bill Medicare for reimbursement, the FBI added.
“His fraudulent healthcare enterprise resulted in more thatn $1.2 billion in Medicare charges and affected thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom were elderly victims,” the bureau said.
Most Wanted Fraudsters list
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel thanked Philippine authorities and US law enforcement partners for their efforts in capturing Kimble.
“Thank you to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and our Justice Department partners for their assistance in returning Kimble to the US to face justice. President Trump set a mandate to end the abuse of hardworking taxpayer money, and each and every day this team will be committed to delivering,” Patel said.
So far, the FBI has arrested two of the eight individuals on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list since launching its nationwide manhunt last week.
Last week, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson announced the arrest of Said Abdullahi Ereg, who is accused of involvement in a money laundering scheme. — VDV, GMA News
