HERBERT LEON KIMBLE

Caution

Herbert Leon Kimble was involved in a large-scale healthcare fraud conspiracy that targeted the Medicare system through the improper marketing and distribution of durable medical equipment (DME), particularly orthopedic braces. He operated a sophisticated call-center-based operation, beginning around 2014 and continuing to March 2019, that served as the marketing engine for a nationwide fraud scheme in which individuals contacted call centers in the Philippines, telemedicine providers, DME suppliers (the billers), and orthopedic brace suppliers (the drop shippers). His operations focused primarily on initiating contact with Medicare beneficiaries and persuading them to request orthopedic braces for pain relief, which were frequently unnecessary and prescribed through telemedicine consultations that often lacked legitimate medical evaluation. The prescriptions were then sold to DME companies, Kimble-affiliated suppliers would ship the braces, and the DME companies billed Medicare for reimbursement. His fraudulent healthcare enterprise resulted in more than $1.2 billion in Medicare charges and affected thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom were elderly victims.

On April 4, 2019, Kimble pled guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, to Make a False Claim to a Department of the United States, to Commit Mail Fraud, to Commit Wire Fraud, to Commit Healthcare Fraud, and to Offer Kickbacks and Bribes in connection with this scheme in the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, Columbia Division. He then failed to appear for his scheduled sentencing hearing on August 27, 2024. A federal arrest warrant was then issued for Kimble that same day in the United States District Court, District of South Carolina, Columbia Division, after he was charged with Failure to Appear.