The Department of Justice revealed yesterday that it has indicted 18 individuals with conspiracy violations to commit electronic fraud, and one of those individuals was Austin St. John (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), whose real name is Jason Lawrence Geiger. The release of US Attorney Brett Featherston stated that if convicted, the 18 defendants could face up to 20 years in prison. Galactic Productions issued a statement on behalf of St. John, saying that Austin “has no knowledge of, and has not met with, or interacted with” the majority of individuals named in the indictment.
The post also states, “Our understanding is that Austin put his faith, reputation, and money in the hands of third parties whose goals were self-centered and ultimately manipulated and betrayed his trust.” John’s legal team expects to successfully defend St. John against these charges, and you can read the full post from Instagram below.
“Austin St. John is a father, husband, role model, and friend to many. Today’s detailed indictment is populated by a large number of individuals – most of whom Austin has no knowledge of and have never met or interacted with. We understand that Austin has placed his faith, reputation, and financial resources in the hands of third parties. Her goals were self-centered and eventually manipulated and betrayed his trust.We expect Austin’s legal team to successfully defend against these accusations and lead to his eventual acquittal.We ask that you respect the privacy of the Austin family in this grave situation, and we thank you for your support.
Zachary McGuinness
Galactic Productions, LLC
Zach@GalacticProductionsLLC.com “
You can read an excerpt from the official statement issued by the Department of Justice and the list of defendants below.
Michael Lewayne Hill, a/k/a Tank, 47, of Mineral Wells;
Andrew Charles Moran, 43, of Louisville;
Peter Keovongphet, a/k/a Lil Pete, 34, from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida;
T Alan Burkart, 34, of Frisco;
Jason Lawrence Geiger, a/k/a Austin St. John a/k/a Red Power Ranger, 47, of McKinney;
Eric Reed Marchio, a/k/a Phoenix Marcon, 50, of Allen;
Christopher Lee McElfrish, 43, of Frisco;
Cord Dean Newman, 44, of Homosasa, Florida;
Elmer Omar Ayala, 45, of Midlothian.
Gregory Fitzgerald Hatley, Jr., 38, of Allen;
Alexander Eric Cortesano, 52, of Dallas.
Arthur Atik Pongtaratek, 33, of Carrollton;
Miles Justin Oriyas, 34, of Richardson;
Fabian C. Hernandez, 44, of Lake Alfred, Florida;
Daniel Lee Warren, 33, address unknown;
Raja Bensalam, 49, from Allen;
Hadi Mohamed Tafal, 50, from Allen. And
Jonathan James Spencer, A/C/A Spence, 33, of Roulette.
“According to the indictment, the defendants, led by Michael Hill and Andrew Moran, allegedly executed a scheme to defraud the lenders and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program,” the Justice Department statement read. “Hill allegedly recruited conspirators to use an existing business or Setting up a company to apply for PPP funding Once registered, Moran allegedly assisted his co-conspirators with the paperwork for the application, including fabricating supporting documents and submitting the application through internet portals. In the applications, the defendants allegedly misrepresented physical information such as nature Actual of their business, number of employees and salary amount.
Based on these material misrepresentations, the Small Business Administration and other financial institutions approved and issued the loans to the defendants. Once fraudulently obtained funds were received, defendants did not use the funds as intended, such as to pay employees, cover fixed debts or utility payments, or continue employee health care benefits. Instead, the defendants typically paid Hill and Moran, transferred the money to their personal accounts, and spent the money on various personal purchases. In other cases, defendants sent fraudulently obtained funds to Jonathan Spencer for alleged investment in foreign exchange markets. In total, the defendants allegedly fraudulently obtained at least 16 loans and at least $3.5 Million.”
.
[ad_2]
