A Tennessee man with the same full name as baseball legend Babe Ruth has been charged in an elaborate fraud scheme that used stolen identities of deceased and retired baseball players. George Herman Ruth, 69, of Morristown, is accused of submitting fraudulent claims to class action settlements across the United States, according to the Justice Department.
Between 2023 and July 2025, Ruth allegedly used stolen Social Security numbers and the names of former Major League Baseball players, including those who played for defunct teams such as the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns, to seek funds from settlements related to banking, contact lens pricing, and other matters. He sought or obtained more than $550,000, court documents show.
To further the scheme, Ruth opened dozens of post office boxes across ten Tennessee cities and submitted hundreds of claims, laundering the proceeds through a sham business called El Mundo Marketing, LLC, prosecutors allege. On August 12, a federal grand jury returned a 91-count indictment charging him with mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, money laundering, false statements to a probation officer, and possessing firearms after a prior felony conviction.
Willy Santana, a public defender representing Ruth, declined to comment on the pending case. If convicted, Ruth faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Social Security Administration, and Morristown Police Department assisted in the investigation.
This is not Ruth’s first encounter with the law. In 2020, he was convicted of participating in a scheme to defraud the Social Security Administration of more than $1 million, which authorities described as part of his attempt to “make a career of getting something for nothing.”
