Remember when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered in the ’90s, and you were like, “What the heck is this show that looks like Godzilla and Voltron had a baby, but somehow, it’s about Americans doing karate?” Well, the feds just charged one of those kids with allegedly defrauding the government through the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program.
Austin St. John, who played Jason in the original Power Rangers series, is among 17 individuals who were scooped up by the Department of Justice for allegedly applying for over $3.5 million worth of fraudulent PPP loans. St. John is facing up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
Instead of putting money towards employee salaries, utility payments or healthcare benefits, St. John and 17 others are accused of in some instances paying [Michael] Hill and [Andrew] Moran, who transferred the money to personal accounts before spending it on personal purchases. Others allegedly sent their fraudulently obtained funds to a third individual, Jonathon Spencer, so that it could be invested in foreign exchange markets.
According to the feds, St. John and the other conspirators lied about the true nature of their small businesses to secure the emergency funds, which they then allegedly pocketed. Of course, they’re not the only people to think they could get away with it as others across the country are facing charges over fraudulent loans, which were intended to keep businesses afloat and protect the economy during the pandemic.
Being a Power Ranger, you’d think St. John would know that evil never wins, but it looks like the only place he’ll get to “go go” to is jail. (That theme song surprisingly rips, right? Tell us this doesn’t rip.)
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)