Morristown Man Indicted on 91 Counts in Dead Baseball Players Fraud Scheme

George Herman Ruth, a 69-year-old man from Morristown, Tennessee, has been indicted on 91 federal charges for an elaborate nationwide fraud scheme involving the submission of hundreds of fraudulent class action lawsuit claims using the names of deceased or retired professional baseball players and the Social Security numbers of unsuspecting victims. The scheme, which ran from January 2023 to July 2025, also included laundering over $550,000 through a sham business, El Mundo Marketing LLC, and the use of multiple post office boxes to facilitate the fraud. Ruth, who shares the name of baseball legend Babe Ruth, was previously convicted in 2020 for conspiracy to defraud the Social Security Administration and IRS and was on supervised release when charged again. The indictment includes charges of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, making false statements to a probation officer, and possession of firearms as a convicted felon. If convicted, Ruth faces up to 20 years in prison plus a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft, along with possible fines and supervised release. His trial is set for January 27, 2026, and the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee.