‘Power Rangers’ Star Faces 20 Years in Prison for Alleged COVID Fraud

Austin St. John, who starred in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” was arrested this week for COVID-related fraud.

People reports St. John was taken into custody during an FBI raid on his home Thursday in McKinney, Texas.

A federal indictment shared by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Texas reveals the actor, real name Jason Lawrence Geiger, was among 18 people arrested for attempting to defraud the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program. The indictment “charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.” They each face 20 years in prison.

The program was meant to provide relief funds for businesses, but the indictment alleges two defendants, Michael Hill and Andrew Moran, led “a scheme to defraud lenders.”

The indictment states, “Hill is alleged to have recruited co-conspirators to use an existing business or create a business to submit applications to obtain PPP funding.  Once enlisted, Moran is alleged to have assisted his co-conspirators with the application paperwork, including fabricating supporting documentation and submitting the application through the online portals.”

Altogether the group allegedly acquired $3.5 million via 16 loans and used the funds primarily on “personal purchases” and investments in “foreign exchange markets.”

The star is known as the Red Power Ranger Jason Lee Scott and has been with the franchise since the 90s. The 47-year-old most recently provided the voice for the Red Power Ranger in the video game “Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid” in 2019.