$2bn brace scam collapses as BI nabs FBI’s most-wanted American, deports him in seven days

He thought Manila would hide him. He was wrong.

Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, American fugitive wanted for one of the biggest healthcare frauds in the US history, was cuffed in a Pasig commercial area on June 11. Seven days later, he was on a plane back to face justice.

—“Philippines is not a sanctuary”—

Acting on President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order to lock down Philippine borders, Bureau of Immigration’s Fugitive Search Unit teamed up with intel officers and cornered Kimble where he thought he was safe.

The charge? Orchestrating a $2 billion healthcare scam. Kimble allegedly marketed and pushed unnecessary orthopedic braces to elderly patients, then billed Medicare for millions.

A federal arrest warrant from the US District Court, South Carolina, was waiting.

“This scheme defrauded US government-funded healthcare programmes of more than $2 billion,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

—7 days from arrest to deportation—

BI Commissioner Viado made it clear: no safe haven here.

“The Philippines will not serve as a sanctuary for fugitives seeking to evade justice in their home countries,” he said. “These arrests show our commitment to international partners.”

Kimble was deported June 18 and instantly blacklisted by BI. Entry denied. Case closed.

From Pasig street to US courtroom. From $2B scam to handcuffs. Message sent: run, but you won’t hide here.

Credit: Rewritten story sourced from here= https://immigration.gov.ph/bi-arrests-us-fraud-suspect-linked-to-2b-healthcare-scam/