Fugitive Charged in $1.2B DME, Telemedicine Fraud Scheme

COLUMBIA, South Carolina—Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and failure to appear.

In 2019, Kimble was charged for his alleged role in a $1.2 billion telemedicine and durable medical equipment scheme. Kimble previously plead guilty to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud, violate the anti-kickback statute and defraud the U.S. Kimble was scheduled to be sentenced in fall 2024, but he failed to appear in federal court on three separate occasions. He fled to the Philippines and remained a fugitive.

On June 4, 2026, the FBI announced the creation of the Most Wanted Fraudsters List and identified Kimble as one of FBI’s eight most wanted fraudsters. On June 8—just four days later—Kimble was apprehended in the Philippines and sent back to the United States. Shortly thereafter, he was charged with three counts of failing to appear for a statute conference and two sentencing hearings.

As part of the plea agreement, Kimble and the U.S. stipulate that the court should impose a sentence between 15 and 20 years’ imprisonment. Kimble has further agreed to pay nearly $200 million in restitution, including $9 million at his sentencing.