Former ‘Survivor’ Contestant From Michigan Charged with Child Porn Possession and Racketeering
Previously, Michael Skupin had been known for his two stints on the reality television show "Survivor" (on which he appeared twice), but now the Michigan native (who currently lives in Oakland County) will be known for what Attorney General Bill Scheutte is calling "horrific crimes".
Skupin was arraigned on Friday, and is being held on $350,000 bond.
All of this began when police started looking into a Ponzi scheme after one of its alleged victims contacted a local news station. The scheme allegedly involved victims making $10,000 investments into the scheme (called "Pay It Forward"). Those investments would then cycle through a chart where other participants were then paid out by the new investor's money.
It was uncovered as a scheme when Skupin was unable to get any new investors and most of the people who had previously invested lost all of their money.
When police started investigating the Ponzi scheme, they searched Skupin's laptop. While searching the computer, police discovered photos of underage children in sexual situations.
Skupin faces five counts of larceny, one count of racketeering, and six counts of possession of child pornography.
Skupin became well-known to fans of "Survivor" for being the only contestant to ever be removed due to medical reasons after he fell into a campfire.