FBI Puts N250 Million Bounty on Fugitive Linked to $1.2 Billion Medicare Fraud
He operated a call-centre network that marketed orthopedic braces to Medicare beneficiaries, many of the braces were unnecessary and did not involve proper medical evaluation.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered a reward of up to $150,000, about N250 million, for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Herbert Leon Kimble, a convicted fraudster who failed to appear for sentencing in a healthcare fraud case.
Kimble, last known to be living in Manila, Philippines, was central to a scheme that ran from around 2014 to March 2019. According to the FBI, he operated a call-centre network that marketed orthopedic braces to Medicare beneficiaries. Prosecutors said many of the braces were unnecessary and approved through telemedicine consultations that did not involve proper medical evaluation.
Investigators allege the prescriptions were sold to durable medical equipment companies connected to Kimble. Those companies then shipped the braces and billed Medicare for reimbursement. The FBI said the operation resulted in more than $1.2 billion in Medicare charges and involved thousands of beneficiaries, many of them elderly.
On April 4, 2019, Kimble pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina to multiple offences, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, false claims, mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and offering kickbacks and bribes.
He was scheduled for sentencing on August 27, 2024, but did not appear. Federal authorities issued an arrest warrant and charged him with failure to appear on the same day.
The FBI is asking anyone with information on Kimble’s location to contact its toll-free tip line, a local FBI office, the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip through the bureau’s online portal.
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