Herbert Kimble, described by prosecutors as the architect of one of the largest health care fraud schemes in U.S. history, was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay more than $199 million in restitution to Medicare and forfeit over $195 million. Court filings put the intended loss at more than $400 million.
The scheme worked like this: offshore call centers recruited elderly Medicare beneficiaries for back, shoulder, wrist, and knee braces, kickbacks were paid for signed prescriptions, and those orders were sold to equipment companies that billed Medicare. Kimble pleaded guilty in 2019, then skipped three court dates in fall 2024 and fled to the Philippines. The FBI named him to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list in June, and he was apprehended days later and returned to the United States.
The case matters here on the Suncoast, where so many residents rely on Medicare and where the phones ring with offers of “free” medical equipment. The U.S. attorney in the case said the sentence reinforces the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting those who steal from American taxpayers. If a caller asks for your Medicare number for equipment you never requested, that is a red flag, not a benefit.
Have you or someone you know ever received one of these brace calls? Tell us how you handled it in the comments.
