MIGHTY STUPID

Red Power Ranger Actor Accused in Massive PPP Scam

Austin St. John is one of more than a dozen people who fraudulently received $3.5 million, the feds said.

An actor who played the Red Power Ranger in the iconic TV series the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has been indicted in an alleged scheme to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program. Austin St. John, whose actual name is Jason Lawrence Geige, was indicted with 17 others and accused of receiving $3.5 million in fraudulent loans from the program, which was meant to provide relief to businesses in the midst of the COVID pandemic, according to federal prosecutors in Texas. “Once in receipt of the fraudulently obtained funds, the defendants did not use the money as intended, such as to pay employee salaries, cover fixed debt or utility payments, or continue health care benefits for employees,” U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston said. “Instead, the defendants typically paid Hill and Moran, transferred money to their personal accounts, and spent the funds on various personal purchases.” St. John faces up to 20 years behind bars if convicted.