1990s Toronto Blue Jays player charged in alleged scam
A former Toronto Blue Jays player and his wife are facing charges following a police investigation into an alleged baseball training scam.
Richard Butler, a Canadian baseball player who was with the Blue Jays during the 1997 season, is facing fraud-related charges after allegedly collecting around $60,000 from families for baseball training services that were never provided.
Butler and his wife, Michelle, of Frankford, Ont., are both charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, and uttering a forged document.
According to Durham Police, families paid registration fees into accounts associated with the Ontario Devil Rays after enrolling their children in the baseball program for the 2025 season. The funds were allegedly transferred to other accounts associated with Butler rather than being used to provide training.
Police allege that approximately $60,000 was deposited into a bank account connected to the organization between April 1 and Oct. 31, 2025.
Rich Butler and his wife Michelle allegedly scammed Ontario families out of $60,000 through the Ontario Devil Rays baseball program. (Durham Regional Police)
The Ontario Devil Rays program later closed, and families who had enrolled their children were reportedly sent a message saying the business was being dissolved due to “financial hardship and bankruptcy.”
Butler played fewer than 100 games during his three-year Major League Baseball career, including just seven with Toronto in 1997. His brother, Rob, played two seasons with the Blue Jays in 1993 and 1994, making two plate appearances during the team’s 1993 World Series-winning run.
Rob has served as manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Canadian Baseball League since 2023.
Police believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone who believes they may have been affected by a similar incident to come forward.
- You might also like:
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. raises eyebrows on day Blue Jays miss playoffs