Ex-MLB Player, Wife Charged in Youth Baseball Fraud

Parents who thought they were paying for elite youth baseball training in Ontario may have been scammed by a former Major League Baseball player and his wife, police say. Durham Regional Police say about $60,000 in fees for the 2025-26 Ontario Devil Rays program was collected between April and October of last year, then shifted into other accounts linked to the organizers, Richard and Michelle Butler, the CBC reports. Investigators say promised training never happened, and families later received an email claiming the business had folded due to "financial hardship" and was going bankrupt—using a lawyer's name that was allegedly attached without his consent, with no actual insolvency filing

"It was ultimately determined that there was in fact no initiation of any bankruptcy or insolvency for proceedings and as a result, the regional police continued an investigation in which these charges were linked," Durham Police Const. Bharat Sharma tells CTV News. Police say more potential victims may be out there.

• Butler, a former outfielder, played seven games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and 79 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 1998 and 1999. The 53-year-old's older brother, Rob Butler, won the World Series with the Blue Jays in 1993. Butler and his wife each face charges of fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, and uttering a forged document.