Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, pleaded guilty Aug. 11 in federal court in Columbia, S.C., to conspiracy to defraud the United States and failure to appear, following his role in a $1.2 billion telemedicine and durable medical equipment fraud scheme.
Kimble was originally charged in 2019 and previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, violate the anti-kickback statute and defraud the U.S. He was scheduled for sentencing in fall 2024 but failed to appear in federal court on three occasions before fleeing to the Philippines.
On June 4, the FBI announced its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list and named Kimble one of its eight most wanted. He was apprehended in the Philippines four days later, on June 8, and extradited to the U.S., where he was charged with three additional counts of failure to appear tied to the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Under the plea agreement, Kimble and prosecutors have stipulated to a sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison. He has also agreed to pay nearly $200 million in restitution, including $9 million due at sentencing. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. accepted the plea and will sentence Kimble after reviewing a report from the U.S. Probation Office.
The FBI, HHS Office of Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case as part of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, created in April to combat fraud against federal healthcare programs.
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