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A Tennessee man who shares the same name as MLB legend Babe Ruth has been federally charged after he allegedly used the names of hundreds of dead or former pro baseball players in a wide-ranging scheme.
George Herman Ruth faces 91 counts in an indictment handed down in U.S. District Court in Greeneville, Tennessee, on Aug. 12, the U.S. attorney’s office announced. The suspect allegedly invoked Ruth’s name and the identities of other former baseball players in false claims for payouts in class action settlements, prosecutors said.
The 69-year-old Morristown man 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.
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Baseball player Babe Ruth on the field in his Boston Red Sox uniform in 1919 in New York, New York. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress/Getty Images)
Per the indictment, 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 filing said.
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Ruth opened more than a dozen P.O. boxes in several Tennessee cities for himself and for bogus companies. He then submitted hundreds of fraudulent claim forms to class action administrators across the country, according to the complaint.
While playing for the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth became baseball’s most prominent player and set many records. (CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
He used the names of old baseball players or variations of his own name, along with the Social Security numbers of unknowing victims, prosecutors said.
The names of the players Ruth pretended to be were not listed in the indictment. A public defender representing him declined to comment on the charges.
Playing with the Boston Braves, Babe Ruth signs autographs for fans at the New York Giants’ home opener against the Braves at the Polo Grounds. New York, April 23, 1935. (Getty Images)
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Ruth has been associated with identity theft in the past. He previously pleaded guilty in an Indiana federal court to a scheme to commit Social Security fraud. In 2020, he was sentenced to prison before going on probation from October 2023 until July 2025, court records show.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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