If you recall on May 19, 2022, Former Power Rangers actor Austin St. John was indicted for his role in a COVID-19 relief fund scheme. Now, it has been confirmed that Jason Lawrence Geiger (Austin St. John) will be taking a plea deal for defrauding the United States Government.
According to a new court document obtained by No Pink Spandex and the United States District Court For The Eastern District of Texas: Sherman Division, St. John had agreed to enter into a plea agreement on May 1 about the pending charge of “Count One of the First Superseding Indictment with a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.”
As the documents read, the essential elements that must be proven to establish the offense are as follows: That you agreed with one or more persons to commit wire fraud, That you knew the unlawful purpose of the agreement, and That you joined the agreement with the intent to further the unlawful purpose. Austin St. John’s court date has been set for later today at 2 pm CDT. It was confirmed that it wasn’t a sentencing hearing.
At that time, U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston and the Department of Justice announced the arrests of 18 individuals, including St. John, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a press release on May 18. The following day, St. John, 47, was picked up by authorities at his home, TMZ reported. The 18 conspirators are alleged to have received 16 loans and at least $3.5 million in total. If convicted, they each face 20 years in federal prison.
Aside from this court case, Austin St. John is under further scrutiny for comments he made in February regarding his new merchandise line on Jim Cummings Podcast, Toon’d In! With Jim. The actor mentioned that he planned on releasing a series of T-shirts that would feature quotes from figures in history such as Gandhi, Bruce Lee, and Chuck Norris. But he mentioned that he would also feature quotes from Adolf Hitler, a mass-murdering tyrant who was the leader of the Nazis. The actor described Hitler as a “Demon on steroids, but he had some great one-liners.” he mentioned his new T-shirt line would include quotes from “The Great Ones, the infamous, and also the terrible ones.” his comments would draw scrutiny from everyone, including from another former power ranger, Actress Amy Jo Johnson. She issued a short response on Twitter, saying “Hmmm? I think some people should have publicists..” In this writer’s opinion, the actor’s merchandise ideas shouldn’t include anything related to Hitler, history will remember him as he was, a murderous coward and a dictator. Also, with what was going on in Israel and Gaza, an ongoing war with Hamas that has no end in sight, the rising amount of casualties and famine in Gaza, also with antisemitism at an all-time high around the world.
Austin St. John, born Jason Lawrence Geiger, starred as Jason Lee Scott, the leader of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as the Red Ranger. Like Jason David Frank (Known to many as Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger), he would return over the years, making cameos on some of the Power Ranger Shows over the years. The actor also appeared in Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, the 1997 film that launched the Power Rangers Turbo television series.
According to EW, This isn’t the first time an actor from the Rangers-verse has faced legal troubles. Ricardo Medina Jr., who played the Red Ranger on Power Rangers Wild Force, was sentenced in 2017 for fatally stabbing his roommate with a sword. Before that, Skylar Deleon, who had a non-speaking role as a child actor on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, was convicted in 2008 of three counts of first-degree murder.
Source: No Pink Spandex, The United States District Court For The Eastern District of Sherman Division
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