Crime · Columbia, SC
Herbert Leon Kimble, 60, was sentenced Monday at the U.S. federal courthouse in Columbia, South Carolina, to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme with key operations carried out in South Carolina. Kimble agreed to pay $199 million in restitution and forfeit a $5 million bond under an August plea agreement. He fled to the Philippines in 2024 before being apprehended in June and deported back to the United States. Over 80 defendants across more than 21 federal districts have been convicted in connection with the scheme, which used telemarketing call centers to target elderly Medicare beneficiaries, including those with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Crime · Columbia, SC
Madeline Kuester, an 18-year-old Clemson student who had just graduated from Dreher High School, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Richland County court to vehicular reckless homicide in a June 18, 2024 crash that killed pedestrian Charlton Ard, 47, of Columbia. State Judge Michael Nettles handed down a suspended 10-year prison sentence and two years probation after hearing nearly two hours of statements, including the victim's family urging leniency based on Kuester's ongoing work with young-driver safety programs. The crash occurred around 11 p.m. on Rosewood Drive, where Kuester struck Ard at an estimated 88 mph in a 35-mph zone, throwing him nearly 300 feet; no drugs or alcohol were involved. Sentence conditions include no driving for years, 100 hours of community service, completion of an advanced traffic safety course, and a written essay on what she learned.
