Former MLB Player and Wife Charged in Youth Baseball Fraud
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Durham police allege the couple misappropriated $60,000 in registration fees for a training program that never provided services.
Former Major League Baseball player Richard Butler, 53, and his wife, Michelle Butler, 52, have been charged following a fraud investigation into the Ontario Devil Rays baseball training program, according to reporting from CBC Toronto and CityNews Toronto.
Police from the Durham Regional Police Services say that roughly $60,000 in registration fees for the 2025-2026 season were deposited into a program-linked bank account between April 1 and Oct. 31, 2025. Investigators claim these funds were subsequently transferred to other accounts associated with the Butlers and were not used for the training services promised to families.
According to CBC Toronto, families received an email on Oct. 19, 2025, stating the business was dissolving due to financial hardship and claiming bankruptcy. However, police determined that no bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings were actually initiated. Investigators further allege the name of a lawyer used in that email was utilized without his permission or knowledge.
Richard and Michelle Butler each face three charges: uttering a forged document, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and fraud over $5,000. As noted by CityNews Toronto, Richard Butler's big-league career included stints with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Tampa Bay Rays) from 1998 to 1999.
Durham police expressed concern that there may be additional victims and are urging anyone affected to contact them.