'Power Rangers' actor Austin St. John arrested for fraud
May 21, 2022
Cannes [France], May 22 : American actor Austin St. John, popular for playing the original Red Ranger in the 1990s 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' series has been arrested.
According to Deadline, he has been charged with others in a scheme to defraud the United States government of CARES Act funds.
The outlet further reported that the Department of Justice has alleged that the actor was among 18 individuals who have been charged with filing fraudulent applications for loans of around USD 3.5 million from the Paycheck Protection Program.
They then allegedly transferred the money to the scheme's ringleaders, which the department claims to be Michael Hill and Andrew Moran. St. John reportedly obtained more than USD 400,000 in fraudulent PPP loans and is facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years.
As per Deadline, St. John's lawyer, David Klaudt, in a statement has pleaded not guilty by saying, "An indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and Mr St. John intends to vigorously defend himself against this allegation."
