Tennessee Man Named Babe Ruth Charged in Class-Action Fraud Scheme

A Tennessee man sharing the name of baseball legend Babe Ruth has been federally charged in Greeneville with a broad scheme to exploit class-action settlements by using the names of hundreds of dead or retired professional players to file fraudulent payout claims. The 69-year-old Morristown resident, George Herman Ruth, faces 91 counts in a federal indictment, including mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, money laundering, making false statements to a probation officer and possessing firearms after prior felony convictions. Prosecutors say he sought or obtained more than $550,000 through the scheme and opened more than a dozen post office boxes in several Tennessee cities to run the operation through sham companies and personal accounts.

According to the indictment, Ruth submitted hundreds of fraudulent claim forms to class-action administrators across the country. He employed the names of old baseball players, or variations of his own name, alongside the Social Security numbers of unwitting victims, to pursue payouts in settlements ranging from consumer-related claims about contact lens pricing to alleged racial-discrimination...