Fugitive Herb Kimble Gets 20 Years for Offshore Call Center Medicare Brace Scheme

Published Oct. 27, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

If you're on Medicare, you may have seen the ads or answered the calls: a free back brace, knee brace or wrist brace, "at no cost to you." Federal prosecutors say a Chicago man helped turn that pitch into one of the largest health care fraud schemes in the country, then fled overseas rather than face sentencing.

On Oct. 26, 2026, Herbert Leon "Herb" Kimble, 60, of Chicago, was sentenced in Columbia, South Carolina, to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and failure to appear, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina announced. He was ordered to pay Medicare more than $199 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $195 million [1].

Important: Kimble has pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Others involved in the scheme are not named here, and anyone not convicted is presumed innocent.

How the scheme worked, step by step

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office [1]:

1. The bait. Offshore call centers recruited vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries through deceptive advertising.
2. The sham "doctor visit." Sham telemedicine companies generated prescriptions for orthotic braces. The medical professionals involved rarely conducted real consultations and simply signed preselected brace orders designed to maximize Medicare reimbursement.
3. Selling the orders. Beneficiaries' information, along with the signed doctors' orders, was sold to durable medical equipment (DME) companies in exchange for illegal kickbacks disguised as legitimate business payments.
4. The billing. The DME companies billed Medicare. In total, prosecutors say, Kimble caused more than $365 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid more than $199 million.

Kimble acted as a "central architect" from the Philippines, coordinating the procurement of patients and prescriptions, prosecutors said. He personally profited by more than $195 million and used some of the money to buy a luxury condo at the Shangri-La hotel in the Philippines [1].

WIS-TV reported that the braces included back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces, that court filings put the intended loss at more than $400 million, and that Kimble had cooperated with investigators in what became "Operation Brace Yourself" [2]. Those details are from the station's report and are not in the U.S. Attorney's release.

The person convicted and his status

Herbert Leon "Herb" Kimble, 60, of Chicago. Kimble originally pleaded guilty in 2019 to a broad conspiracy against the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 371. He failed to appear for multiple court proceedings in 2024, and a bench warrant was issued. After the FBI placed him on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list, he was caught in the Philippines days later and returned to the United States. He was indicted on three counts of failure to appear and entered a new plea agreement covering both the original charge and the new indictment [1]. WIS reported that he was added to the list in June [2].

On Oct. 26, 2026, U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. sentenced him to 240 months in prison, followed by three years of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system [1].

"Kimble targeted vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries, pocketed millions, and then fled the country rather than face justice," said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division [1].

The FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Usher prosecuted [1]. The release does not name the telemedicine companies, DME companies or medical professionals involved, and we do not name them here.

Why this matters to Medicare beneficiaries

Even when Medicare, not the patient, pays the bill, beneficiaries can be harmed. Their Medicare numbers are passed around and sold, they may receive braces they don't need, and false diagnoses can end up in their records. A fraudulent claim for a brace can also make it harder to get coverage for one you genuinely need later.

Red flags

• Unsolicited calls, TV or online ads offering a "free" brace or other medical equipment paid for by Medicare.
• A "doctor" you've never met who approves equipment after a brief phone call, or no call at all.
• Requests for your Medicare number from anyone other than your own doctor, pharmacy or plan.
• Equipment that arrives in the mail that you didn't ask for or that your doctor didn't order.
• Pressure to "act now" before an offer expires.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Hang up on unsolicited callers offering medical equipment, tests or supplies.
2. Guard your Medicare number like a credit card number.
3. Read your Medicare Summary Notice or check your claims at Medicare.gov for items or services you didn't get.
4. Refuse or return unordered equipment and report it.
5. Report suspected Medicare fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE, to the HHS Office of Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or oig.hhs.gov, or to your state's Senior Medicare Patrol.
6. Report other scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Older adults can also call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.

Case status (as of Oct. 27, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Herbert Leon "Herb" Kimble, 60, of Chicago	U.S. District Court, D.S.C. (Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr.)	Pleaded guilty 2019 (conspiracy to defraud the U.S.) and later to failure to appear; sentenced Oct. 26, 2026, to 240 months plus 3 years' supervision, more than $199 million restitution and more than $195 million forfeiture	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Carolina, "Fugitive Fraudster Herb Kimble Sentenced to 20 Years for International Healthcare Fraud Scheme," Oct. 26, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/fugitive-fraudster-herb-kimble-sentenced-20-years-international-healthcare-fraud-scheme
2. WIS News 10 Staff, "International fugitive sentenced 20 years in federal prison for healthcare fraud conspiracy," WIS-TV, Oct. 26, 2026. https://www.wistv.com/2026/10/26/international-fugitive-be-sentenced-healthcare-fraud-conspiracy/

---

Corrections and updates: If you are named in this article, or represent someone who is, and believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date (including a dismissal, acquittal, or change in case status), please contact us at editorandchief@scammers.com. We will review it and update the article promptly.