Tennessee Man Indicted for Using Names in Fraud Scheme

A man from Tennessee, sharing a name with the iconic baseball player Babe Ruth, has been federally indicted. This indictment arises from allegations that he utilized the names of numerous deceased individuals, including former professional baseball players, as part of various schemes.

George Herman Ruth, aged 69 and from Morristown, faces 91 charges as reported to the US District Court in Greenville, Tennessee on August 12. Prosecutors claim that he falsely invoked Ruth’s name, along with another former player’s, to falsely claim payments in a class action settlement.

The charges against him include postal fraud, aggravated identity theft, misuse of a Social Security number, money laundering, making false statements to his probation officer, and illegal possession of a firearm due to prior felony convictions.

According to the filings, after the charges were leveled, Ruth attempted to claim over $550,000. This included seeking payments related to settlement claims for various issues, including contact lens pricing and allegations of racism.

Ruth reportedly opened multiple PO boxes across various Tennessee cities for himself and fictitious businesses. He then submitted numerous fraudulent claim forms to class action managers nationwide.

In this alleged scheme, he impersonated an old baseball player and even employed variations of his own name, all while using the Social Security numbers of unwitting victims, according to prosecutors.

The specific names of the players he purportedly impersonated weren’t provided in the indictment. The defense attorney representing him opted not to comment on the charges at this time.

Ruth has a history of involvement in identity theft. Previously, he pleaded guilty in Indiana federal court to a conspiracy involving social security fraud. His past sentencing records indicate he was incarcerated from October 2020 until July 2021, followed by a period of probation.