Former MLB player, wife charged in $60K youth baseball fraud
Former Jays and Rays player Richard Butler and his wife have been charged in connection with an alleged $60,000 youth baseball fraud scheme in Canada.
Read more Michael Goodwin: Dems betrayal of Israel fueled by Obama’s wrath toward the Jewish state
Butler and his wife Michelle are accused of collecting thousands of dollars from families for baseball training services that were never provided, according to multiple reports.
The families enrolled their children in the Ontario Devil Rays’ 2025-26 baseball program, Butler’s baseball training company, paying registration fees to its accounts.
Investigators allege that approximately $60,000 was deposited into an account associated with the organization in 2025 before being transferred to other accounts linked to the couple.
Both face charges of fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and uttering a forged document.
The organization reportedly informed families in October 2025 that it was shutting down due to financial difficulties and bankruptcy.
Investigators later determined that no bankruptcy proceedings had been initiated and that a lawyer named in the email had allegedly been identified without his knowledge or permission.
Police believe there may be additional victims.
Butler, an Ontario native, spent parts of three seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1997-99, appearing in 86 games and batting .223 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs.
His brother, Rob Butler, was a member of Toronto’s 1993 World Series championship team and played four seasons in the big leagues.
