In the words of Alpha 5, “Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi!” Back in the day, Austin St. John was entertaining us as kids when he played the original Red Power Ranger Jason on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the early 90s, but today he’s finding himself in a world of trouble that would make Zordon look down in shame. According to TMZ, Austin St. John has been arrested for COVID fraud in a massive criminal case.
According to a neighbor that spoke with TMZ, about 15 FBI agents in tactical gear came to St. John’s home on Thursday around 7:00 AM in an upscale neighborhood in McKinney, Texas. The tactical team appeared to be brandishing AR-15s as they approached his residence. Once they entered the house and later reemerged, they had St. John with them in handcuffs.
As it turns out, there was a huge federal indictment that involved 18 people who are now being charged with fraud, and St. John is one of the 18. The indictment alleges that the scheme involved defrauding the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. In case you were wondering, this is a program designed to help small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
St. John is alleged to have gotten 16 loans, totaling $3.5 million, which he then used for personal purchases and not for its intended purpose. The feds are saying that even if it was used for its intended purpose, the loans were still obtained fraudulently.
Austin St. John played Jason Lee Scott, aka the Red Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers beginning in 1993. He quit the show midway through season 2 because he, along with co-stars Walter Jones (Black Ranger) and Thuy Trang (Yellow Ranger), wanted pay increases. These demands weren’t met and they were replaced right before Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie began to take shape. In the years since being released from the show, St. John became a paramedic and he also began hitting the convention circuit in support of his time on Power Rangers.
What are YOUR thoughts on what’s going on with the original Red Ranger?