The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, that it is offering a reward of up to 150,000 US dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the Medicare fraud fugitive Herbert Leon Kimble. The move places the 60-year-old Chicago native, listed among the Most Wanted Fraudsters, at the centre of a renewed law enforcement drive to conclude a long-running healthcare fraud case.
Herbert Leon Kimble had pleaded guilty in April 2019 to a series of serious federal charges arising from his leadership of an extensive conspiracy. The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States, making false claims, mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud and offering kickbacks and bribes. He entered the plea in the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, Columbia Division.
Court documents detail how Herbert Leon Kimble directed call centre operations in the Philippines from around 2014 until March 2019. Staff there contacted Medicare beneficiaries, many of them elderly Americans experiencing pain, and encouraged them to request orthopaedic braces. Telemedicine providers linked to the scheme issued prescriptions that frequently lacked thorough medical evaluation. The braces were then supplied and billed to Medicare by associated companies, producing charges that reached a staggering total of more than 1.2 billion US dollars and touched thousands of beneficiaries.
For a time after his guilty plea Herbert Leon Kimble cooperated with investigators and provided assistance in proceedings against other individuals involved in the network. That cooperation formed part of discussions around his eventual sentence.
Herbert Leon Kimble nevertheless failed to appear at scheduled sentencing hearings. A federal arrest warrant was issued on 27 August 2024 following one such absence. In November 2024 United States District Judge Joe Anderson voided the plea agreement entirely after further non-appearance, ending any possibility of reduced penalties that might have followed from his earlier help to prosecutors.
The reward now offered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation forms part of its Most Wanted Fraudsters programme. It reflects official determination to secure accountability in cases that exploit public resources meant for older and vulnerable citizens. Members of the public with relevant information may contact the FBI through its tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit details online, with payments available for information that leads to conviction.
Investigators have indicated that Herbert Leon Kimble was last known to be living in Manila, Philippines. His professional background includes telemarketing and references to work in film production. Authorities continue to follow leads in the hope of locating him.
The impact of the scheme extended beyond financial loss to the Medicare programme. Many recipients who received the unsolicited calls were older people who placed trust in the apparent offers of relief. Some underwent consultations and received equipment that independent medical review might have deemed unnecessary, adding to the human dimension of a fraud that ultimately draws on funds supported by taxpayers and beneficiaries alike.
Federal authorities have stressed the importance of safeguarding the integrity of healthcare programmes that serve millions of Americans in their later years. Cases such as this one, they note, not only divert resources but also risk eroding public confidence in systems designed to provide essential support.
Information that helps bring Herbert Leon Kimble before the courts could assist in delivering a degree of closure for those affected and strengthen ongoing measures to detect and deter similar exploitation.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
