The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced a reward of up to $150,000 (approximately N250 million) for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Herbert Leon Kimble, a convicted fraudster accused of masterminding a healthcare fraud scheme that generated more than $1.2 billion in fraudulent Medicare charges.
According to information published on the FBI’s website, Kimble is currently a wanted fugitive after failing to appear for a scheduled sentencing hearing in the United States. He was last known to be residing in Manila, Philippines.
Federal investigators said Kimble played a leading role in a nationwide healthcare fraud conspiracy that exploited the Medicare system through the marketing and distribution of durable medical equipment (DME), particularly orthopedic braces.
Authorities disclosed that between 2014 and March 2019, Kimble operated a sophisticated call-centre network that served as the marketing arm of a large-scale fraud operation involving telemedicine providers, DME suppliers and orthopedic brace distributors across the United States.
The scheme allegedly targeted Medicare beneficiaries, many of them elderly Americans, by contacting them directly and encouraging them to request orthopedic braces for pain relief. Investigators said many of the braces were medically unnecessary and prescribed through telemedicine consultations that lacked proper medical examinations or evaluations.
According to the FBI, prescriptions obtained through the scheme were sold to DME companies, while suppliers associated with Kimble shipped the braces to beneficiaries. The DME firms subsequently submitted reimbursement claims to Medicare, resulting in fraudulent charges exceeding $1.2 billion.
The agency said the operation affected thousands of Medicare beneficiaries and caused significant financial losses to the U.S. healthcare system.
Court records show that Kimble pleaded guilty on April 4, 2019, before the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, Columbia Division, to conspiracy-related offences. The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States, making false claims to a federal agency, mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and the payment of illegal kickbacks and bribes.
Despite his guilty plea, Kimble failed to appear for his sentencing hearing scheduled for August 27, 2024.
Following his absence, a federal arrest warrant was issued the same day, and he was additionally charged with failure to appear in court.
The FBI is urging anyone with information regarding Kimble’s whereabouts to contact its toll-free tip line, the nearest FBI field office, an American Embassy or Consulate, or submit information through the agency’s online tip portal.
The bureau said the reward remains available for information that leads directly to Kimble’s arrest and conviction.