Tennessee man named Babe Ruth charged with fraud

"A Tennessee man with the same name as New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth is facing charges alleging that he used the names of hundreds of dead or retired pro baseball players to make phony claims for payouts in class action settlements. George Herman Ruth is charged with 91 counts in the indictment handed down in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, on Aug. 12, the U.S. attorney's office announced late last week."

"The 69-year-old from Morristown is charged with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, money laundering, making false statements to his probation officer and possessing firearms after having previously been convicted of felonies. The indictment says Ruth obtained or attempted to obtain more than $550,000 through the scheme. He sought payouts in lawsuit settlements ranging from contact lens pricing allegations to claims of racial discrimination against a staffing agency, the indictment adds."

"Ruth opened more than a dozen P.O. boxes in several Tennessee cities for himself and for sham companies, then submitted hundreds of fraudulent claim forms to class action administrators across the country, according to the indictment. He used the old baseball players' names or variations of his own name and the Social Security numbers of unwitting victims, prosecutors said. The indictment doesn't list the names of the players Ruth claimed to be, but it does describe some of them."

George Herman Ruth of Morristown, Tennessee, faces a 91-count federal indictment alleging mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, money laundering, false statements to a probation officer and unlawful firearms possession. Prosecutors allege he obtained or attempted to obtain more than $550,000 by submitting fraudulent claim forms to class action administrators using names of hundreds of dead or retired professional baseball players and stolen Social Security numbers. Ruth allegedly opened over a dozen P.O. boxes for himself and sham companies to receive payouts. He previously pleaded guilty to Social Security fraud, was imprisoned in 2020, and has been on probation through July 2025.

Read at ESPN.com