BI arrests US fraud suspect linked to $2B healthcare scam

In line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to strengthen border security and prevent the Philippines from becoming a refuge for foreign fugitives, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested an American national tagged as a high-priority target by the US FBI.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado announced the arrest of 60-year-old American national Herbert Leon Kimble in Pasig City on June 11.

BI fugitive search unit (FSU) agents, together with government intelligence officers, arrested Kimble in a commercial area in Pasig City.

The American national is the subject of a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court in South Carolina for allegedly orchestrating a healthcare fraud scheme that defrauded U.S. government-funded healthcare programs of more than $2 billion.

Authorities said the scheme involved the fraudulent marketing and distribution of unnecessary orthopedic braces billed to Medicare.

“The Philippines will not serve as a sanctuary for fugitives seeking to evade justice in their home countries,” said Viado. “These arrests demonstrate our commitment to working closely with international law enforcement partners to ensure that foreign nationals who pose a threat to public safety are located, arrested, and removed from our communities.”

Kimble was deported last June 18 and has since been included in the BI’s blacklist.