American actor Austin St. John, best known for his role as the original Red Ranger in the 1990s 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' series, has been arrested.
He along with others have been charged in a scheme to defraud the US government of CARES Act funds, reported Deadline.
The outlet further reported that the Department of Justice has alleged that the actor was one of 18 people charged with filing fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans totalling approximately USD 3.5 million.
They then allegedly transferred the money to the scheme's ringleaders, which the department claims to be Michael Hill and Andrew Moran. St. John reportedly obtained more than USD 400,000 in fraudulent PPP loans and is facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years.
As per Deadline, St. John's lawyer, David Klaudt, in a statement has pleaded not guilty by saying, "An indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and Mr St. John intends to vigorously defend himself against this allegation."
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