A Durham baseball fraud investigation has led to charges against a former Major League Baseball player and his spouse over payments for a youth training program, Durham Regional Police announced October 20.
Police say families paid fees in 2025 for the Ontario Devil Rays’ 2025–26 training program. Payments went to accounts associated with Ontario Devil Rays Inc.
Investigators say approximately $60,000 entered a bank account associated with the organization between April 1 and October 31, 2025. They allege money was transferred to other accounts linked to the accused and was not used for the agreed training services.
Those allegations have not been proven in court. The police announcement describes charges, not convictions, and both accused are presumed innocent.
Police question dissolution email
According to the release, families received an email on October 19, 2025, advising that the business was being dissolved because of financial difficulty and claiming bankruptcy.
Police say investigators later determined that a lawyer’s name had allegedly been used without his knowledge or permission. The release also says no bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings had been started.
The email date is in 2025. The charges were announced in October 2026; the two dates should not be confused.
Three offences alleged against each accused
Richard Butler, 53, and Michelle Butler, 52, both of Frankford, are each charged with one count of fraud over $5,000, one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and one count of uttering a forged document.
The $5,000 amounts identify the offence thresholds stated by police. They are not separate estimates of what any individual family paid or lost. Police did not provide a complete family-by-family accounting in the release.
Investigators believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information, or who believes they experienced a similar situation, is asked to contact Detective Constable Peden of the Financial Crimes Unit at 1-888-579-1520, extension 5241.
Anonymous information can be provided to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. The local connection is the investigation and public appeal by Durham police, not the accused persons’ home address.
Featured image: illustrative stock photo; not a photograph of the people, business, property, event or location reported.
