Federal judge gives 20 years to architect of Medicare brace scheme

A federal judge in Columbia, South Carolina, sentenced Herbert Kimble on Monday to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of court supervision, for his role in a telemedicine and durable medical equipment scheme that prosecutors said was intended to drain more than $400 million from Medicare. The court also ordered Kimble to pay over $199 million in restitution to Medicare and forfeit more than $195 million prosecutors described as proceeds of the fraud.

Kimble pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violating the anti-kickback statute, and defrauding the United States. Prosecutors said he ran offshore call centers that recruited elderly Medicare beneficiaries, paid kickbacks to telemedicine companies for signed prescriptions, and then sold those orders to medical equipment companies that billed Medicare for braces covering backs, shoulders, wrists, and knees.

Kimble worked with investigators during Operation Brace Yourself but missed three court dates in the fall of 2024 and fled to the Philippines, where he stayed a fugitive for nearly two years. The FBI put him on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list in June, and he was arrested in the Philippines days later and returned to the United States. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to appear as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

Bryan Stirling, U.S. attorney for the District of South Carolina, said the sentence reflects what prosecutors found in the case. "Kimble orchestrated one of the largest international healthcare fraud schemes in our nation's history," Stirling said. "Today's sentence underscores the seriousness of his crimes and reinforces the Department of Justice's commitment to investigate and prosecute those who steal from American taxpayers."

Kimble is not eligible for parole.