FBI Captures Second Most Wanted Fraudster

FBI Captures Second Most Wanted Fraudster

Just over two weeks after the FBI unveiled its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list, the administration has notched its second capture, and the message is getting through.

Herbert Leon Kimble, who pleaded guilty to orchestrating one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes ever prosecuted in the United States and then simply didn’t show up for sentencing, has been arrested in the Philippines and returned to face justice. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

According to the FBI, Kimble’s scheme generated more than $1.2 billion in fraudulent Medicare charges and victimized thousands of beneficiaries, many of them elderly Americans who trusted the healthcare system. 

The arrest marks the second capture from the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, which launched on June 4, 2026, and initially featured eight fugitives accused of major fraud offenses.

The list is a centerpiece of the administration’s broader effort to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse, an effort that, so far, appears to be producing results. 

Vice President JD Vance credited the arrest to the administration’s anti-fraud initiative.

Our message is simple. 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. The FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task force’s partnership with the FBI… https://t.co/kOrqMYHylq

— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 19, 2026

“Our message is simple. 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. The FBI catching Kimble is a direct result of the task force’s partnership with the FBI to create the Most Wanted Fraudsters list.

Authorities had sought Kimble for months with no action. But just four days after we published our list, the Philippines government helped us track him down. 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.”

FBI Director Kash Patel likewise pointed to the speed of the takedowns as evidence the list is working.

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

“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 Kimble 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 to 2019.

Thank you to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and our Justice Department partners for their assistance in returning Kimble to the United States 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.”

According to the FBI, Kimble ran a sophisticated call-center operation from approximately 2014 through March 2019 that wove together call centers in the Philippines, telemedicine providers, and durable medical equipment suppliers. The scheme focused on persuading Medicare beneficiaries to request orthopedic braces that were frequently unnecessary, prescribed through telemedicine consultations that often lacked legitimate medical evaluation. The prescriptions were sold to DME companies, the braces were shipped, and Medicare was billed for reimbursement.

On April 4, 2019, Kimble pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Columbia Division, to conspiracy to defraud the United States, to make false claims to a federal department, to commit mail fraud, to commit wire fraud, to commit healthcare fraud, and to offer kickbacks and bribes. 

Kimble was scheduled for sentencing on August 27, 2024, but failed to appear. Federal authorities issued a warrant for his arrest that same day on a charge of failure to appear. 

Kimble’s arrest comes as the administration makes good on its promise to pursue fraud in federal programs with renewed seriousness. In March 2026, President Donald Trump established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President Vance, to coordinate enforcement efforts across the federal government.

Earlier this month, Said Abdullahi Ereg surrendered to federal authorities in Minneapolis.

Ereg is accused of participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme and allegedly received more than $4.2 million through fraudulent reimbursement claims tied to a federal child nutrition program.

Federal officials have made clear that more arrests are coming. Six of the eight fugitives on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list remain at large, but if the first two weeks are any indication, that number may not hold for long.

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