Ex-Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays player Richard Butler and his wife have been charged in connection with an alleged youth baseball training fraud scheme in Canada.
Between April 1 and Oct. 31 of last year, approximately $60,000 in registration fees for the 2025-2026 Ontario Devil Rays training program was allegedly deposited into a bank account associated with the program, police said in a news release Tuesday.
But funds were later transferred to other accounts associated with the accused couple — Michelle Butler, 52, and former big leaguer Richard Butler, 53, both of Frankford, Ontario.
The registration fees were allegedly not used for the program and the services as agreed on were not provided, police said.
CBC News notes families who paid the registration received an email on Oct. 19, 2025, saying the business had been dissolved due to financial hardship and claiming bankruptcy, police said.
