https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/08/man-with-same-name-as-babe-ruth-used-dead-baseball-players-names-for-fraud-feds-say.html

A Tennessee man named George Herman Ruth, the same legal name as New York Yankees legend “Babe” Ruth, has been indicted on mail fraud and numerous other charges tied to names used to claim payouts in class action lawsuits.

Ruth, 69, of Morristown, Tennessee, has been indicted on 91 counts for mail fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, making false statements to his supervising probation officer and possessing firearms after being previously convicted of felonies, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Ruth is accused of submitting hundreds of fraudulent claim forms for class action lawsuits using the names and Social Security numbers of deceased or retired professional baseball players, according to the indictment. His fraudulent claims ranged from claims of racial discrimination against a staffing agency to contact lens pricing lawsuits, AP reports.

He also opened dozens of post office boxes around the Eastern District of Tennessee to facilitate his scheme, which occurred from January 2023 until July 10, 2025, per DOJ. According to the indictment, Ruth is accused of obtaining or attempting to obtain more than $550,000 in fraudulent claims.

Ruth made his initial court appearance on Aug. 21 and was detained pending further proceedings. His trial has been scheduled to begin Jan. 27, 2026, in the U.S. District Court at Greeneville in Tennessee.

If convicted, Ruth faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a mandatory, consecutive two-year sentence; up to three years of supervised release; and a fine up to $250,000, according to the release.

The indictment doesn’t specifically list the players’ names Ruth used, but notes that some played for defunct MLB teams including the Philadelphia Athletics, Kansas City Packers and St. Louis Browns.

Ruth, the Yankees legend, was born George Herman Ruth on Feb. 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland. There are varying accounts on how he was given his “Babe” nickname, but some say it came about when he made his MLB debut at a youthful age 19 for the Boston Red Sox in 1914. The lefty slugger also had a number of other nicknames, including “The Sultan of Swat,” “The Great Bambino,” “The Colossus of Clout,” and “The King of Crash.”

Ruth is one of the most decorated players in MLB history and was the league’s all-time home run leader for 53 years from 1921 until 1974, when his record 714 career home runs was surpassed by Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron. He played 22 seasons in MLB from 1914-35, winning seven World Series with the Yankees. He remains MLB’s all-time leader in career slugging percentage (.690), OPS (1.164), OPS+ (206) and wins above replacement (162.2.) He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1939.