The six were captured between June and September and spent more than 4,000 days on the run combined, according to the bureau
FBI Director Kash Patel says six fugitives on the bureau’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list have been captured since it was launched in June.
He also says Operation Blackout, the FBI’s crackdown on overseas scam centres, has seized about $17 billion. Patel made the claims in posts on X on Sunday, which summarised captures announced over the past four months.
The six are Manjit Singh Bedi, Elaine Angene Escoe, Khalid Ahmed Satary, Herbert Leon Kimble, Said Abdullahi Ereg and Emylee Thai. Patel said they spent more than 4,000 days on the run in total, and that the fraud cases linked to the list involve more than $2 billion. All six are accused of fraud. None should be treated as guilty unless and until convicted.
Patel said the suspects had believed that fleeing the United States and hiding abroad would put them beyond the reach of American law enforcement.
“They were wrong,” he wrote, adding that the FBI and its international partners would keep pursuing people accused of defrauding Americans wherever they hide.
He said the six were captured across four continents. In September, the FBI’s own statement on the sixth capture put the figure at three.
The six Most Wanted Fraudsters captured
- Said Abdullahi Ereg, 47, a former Minneapolis deli owner. He was the first on the list to be taken into custody, surrendering in Minnesota in June, after communicating through counsel that he wished to return to the US.
- Herbert “Herb” Kimble, wanted over an alleged $1.2 billion Medicare fraud involving orthopaedic braces and other durable medical equipment. He was arrested in June.
- Khalid Ahmed Satary, wanted over an alleged $547 million healthcare fraud conspiracy involving genetic testing. He was captured overseas in July.
- Elaine Angene Escoe, wanted over an alleged $32 million scheme involving Covid-19 relief funds. She was apprehended in July.
- Manjit Singh Bedi, 64, accused of defrauding the federal government of at least $600,000 through SNAP benefits fraud at a Tacoma, Washington, grocery store. He was arrested in Jalandhar, India, in early September and handed over to US authorities.
- Emylee Thai, accused of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, defrauding the United States, and paying and receiving kickbacks, in a scheme alleged to exceed $100 million. She had been on the run since 2022 and was taken into custody in September.
What Operation Blackout claims
In a separate update, Patel said Operation Blackout had led to the seizure of nearly $17 billion, the arrest of hundreds of alleged scammers and the freeing of thousands of trafficked workers. He said more than 10,000 Americans were warned before losing money, preventing an estimated $670 million in losses.
“We’re not just investigating these criminal enterprises. We’re dismantling their networks, disrupting their finances, rescuing victims, and holding those responsible accountable,” he said. He described the scam centres as criminal operations that exploit victims and target Americans through international schemes. “To every criminal organization targeting Americans: Justice will find you,” he added.
The FBI has not published a breakdown of the $17 billion, which Patel said was seized by the bureau and its partners. A separate release on the US Scam Center Strike Force cited about $938 million restrained, including a recent bust in Madagascar. The wider operation has involved raids on suspected scam centres, disruption of online infrastructure and efforts to identify trafficked workers.
In a related post, reports say, Patel said the FBI arrested nine suspected fraudsters in Nigeria, seized 53 devices and identified $11 million in potentially freezable funds.
