‘Most Wanted’ Medicare Fraudster To Plead Guilty Following International Manhunt

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by ERIN PARROTT

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Nearly two months after an international manhunt brought one of the nation’s most wanted fraud fugitives back to South Carolina, Herbert “Herb” Kimble is set to plead guilty in federal court on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) – this time to charges tied to both his massive Medicare fraud scheme and his decision to flee before sentencing.

As FITSNews previously reported, Kimble was returned to South Carolina in June after spending nearly two years on the run. He was apprehended in the Philippines shortly after being added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s newly created “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list.

Kimble was at the center of a sprawling healthcare fraud operation that generated more than $1.2 billion in fraudulent Medicare charges through offshore call centers, telemedicine companies and durable medical equipment providers.

Now, according to a plea agreement filed Monday (August 10, 2026) in federal court in Columbia, S.C., he has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy against the United States and three counts of failure to appear.

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The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, while the failure-to-appear charges also carry a maximum term of five years – which must run consecutively to any sentence imposed for another offense.

The financial consequences outlined in the agreement are substantial.

Kimble agreed to pay $199,080,643.72 in restitution to Medicare, including $9 million at sentencing toward that obligation. He also agreed to cooperate with federal authorities in identifying additional assets that could be used to satisfy restitution or forfeiture.

Under the agreement, Kimble will also surrender assets and property subject to federal forfeiture, including a money judgment representing the gross proceeds of his offenses.

Perhaps most significantly, prosecutors and Kimble have agreed to an aggregate sentence of 180 to 240 months behind bars – or 15 to 20 years – followed by the appropriate term of supervised release, provided Kimble complies with the terms of the agreement.

There is no parole in the federal system.

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RELATED | FRAUD FUGITIVE RETURNED TO SOUTH CAROLINA

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Kimble’s latest plea comes years after he originally admitted his role in the healthcare fraud conspiracy. He signed an earlier plea agreement in April 2019 and spent years cooperating with federal investigators against his alleged co-conspirators. That arrangement unraveled in 2024, however, when Kimble failed to appear for a status conference and two sentencing hearings before fleeing the country.

The new agreement explicitly acknowledged that Kimble breached his 2019 plea agreement, a breach previously recognized by the federal court in November 2024. Statements he made pursuant to that earlier agreement may now be used against him in future proceedings.

Kimble’s disappearance ultimately triggered an international fugitive investigation. Federal authorities say he was captured in the Philippines in June, shortly after the FBI publicly placed him among its most wanted fraud suspects. He was subsequently returned to South Carolina and placed in federal custody.

His return also brought three new federal charges for failing to appear before the court as required.

Kimble is expected to formally enter his guilty pleas in federal court in Columbia this week – marking another major chapter in a fraud prosecution that has stretched across seven years, more than a billion dollars in Medicare charges and, eventually, international borders.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2025 with a bachelor degree in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.

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