Former MLB Player and Wife Face Charges in $60000 Fraud Case

Former Major League Baseball player Richard Butler, 53, and his wife, Michelle Butler, 52, have been charged in Ontario following an investigation into an alleged fraud involving the Ontario Devil Rays youth baseball program. Police allege the Frankford couple received approximately $60000 from families between April 1 and October 31, 2025, for services that were not provided. According to investigators cited by Toronto CityNews and TSN, the couple each faces three charges: fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and uttering a forged document.

Authorities allege money collected for the program was transferred to other accounts associated with the suspects rather than being used for its intended purpose. The investigation focuses on the Ontario Devil Rays program, which enrolled young athletes for the 2025-2026 season. Families paid registration fees into accounts associated with Ontario Devil Rays Inc., according to the reports.

Police traced approximately $60000 deposited into an account linked to the organization during the seven-month period from April through October 2025. Investigators allege the funds were subsequently moved to accounts associated with the Butlers and were not distributed as intended.

Authorities also examined an email sent to participating families on October 19, 2025, announcing that the organization would be dissolved because of financial difficulties and that bankruptcy was being declared. According to CityNews, investigators allege the message used the name of a lawyer who had no involvement in the matter and whose identity was included without his knowledge or permission. Investigators found no evidence that bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings had been initiated, according to the reports. The allegations have resulted in the forged-document charge against each defendant, alongside the two financial-crime charges.

Richard Butler previously played professional baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, now known as the Tampa Bay Rays. According to CityNews, he made his major league debut with Toronto in September 1997 before appearing for the Devil Rays in 1998 and 1999. TSN reported that Butler played seven games for his hometown Blue Jays. He later joined the expansion Devil Rays through the 1997 expansion draft and appeared during the franchise's first two seasons.

Across his major league career, Butler recorded a .223 batting average in 251 at-bats, with 56 hits, seven home runs, 22 runs batted in and a .631 on-base-plus-slugging figure, according to TSN. Butler attended East York High School and is the younger brother of Rob Butler, who played parts of four major league seasons with Toronto and the Philadelphia Phillies. Rob Butler was a member of the Blue Jays team that won the 1993 World Series and remains the only Canadian player to have won a World Series with a Canadian franchise, according to TSN.

Police believe additional families may have been affected by the alleged scheme. Investigators are seeking information from anyone who believes they experienced a similar situation involving the program.