FBI Captures Fugitive Mastermind Behind $1.2 Billion Medicare Scam

Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was arrested in the Philippines after failing to appear for his sentencing hearing in August 2024, according to federal officials. His capture marks the second arrest from the FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list in just over two weeks.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Kimble had been on the run since 2024 after orchestrating a $1.2 billion scheme from 2014 to 2019.

“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,” Patel posted on X.

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.

Herbert Leon Kimbel was apprehended in the Philippines and is now back in the United States, on the run… pic.twitter.com/9ju6cnEfFX

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 19, 2026

Kimble had pleaded guilty in 2019 to multiple federal offenses, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, health care fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, making false claims, and offering kickbacks and bribes.

Prosecutors said Kimble operated a health care fraud scheme that generated more than $1.2 billion in Medicare charges and affected thousands of beneficiaries, many of them elderly. Authorities said the operation used call centers to steer patients toward medically unnecessary orthopedic braces.

The case puts a face on the kinds of large-scale fraud federal officials say they are trying to root out. Authorities say elderly beneficiaries were pushed toward unnecessary medical equipment, taxpayers were left with more than a billion dollars in charges, and Kimble fled before he could be sentenced.

Patel said the FBI remains committed to carrying out President Donald Trump’s directive to crack down on fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.

Kimble’s arrest comes after federal officials announced the apprehension of Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, who was wanted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. Ereg was the first person on the list to be taken into custody.

Vice President JD Vance said Kimble’s capture was tied directly to the creation of the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.

“Our message is simple,” Vance wrote on X. “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,” Vance 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.

The arrest comes months after the Justice Department announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division to support President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vance. The task force was launched to investigate and recover fraudulent spending in programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Kimble fled to the Philippines rather than face accountability in the United States.

“Fleeing the United States does not mean you can flee justice,” Blanche wrote on X.

“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 continued. “That plan failed.”

Blanche said the FBI has now apprehended two fraudsters from its recently unveiled list in just two weeks, adding that there are “more to come.”