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‘Survivor’ Alum Michael Skupin Arrested: Reality Star Charged With Six Counts Of Child Pornography, Larceny, And Racketeering

By Chrissie Williams
Published on: 13:14 PST, Feb 5, 2016

Survivor 2 Alum Michael Skupin was arrested and charged with six counts of child pornography and conducting and running a criminal enterprise for his alleged role in running and representing a Ponzi scheme. Skupin was arrested and arraigned on Friday, and the 54-year-old reality star is being held on a $350K bond. Currently, Michael is jailed in Oakland County Jail, and is not expected to post bail.

Us Weekly reported that Michael was arrested and is facing larceny and racketeering charges in connection with his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme. According to the initial report, the Michigan Attorney General was alerted that Michael had stolen money from many residents, and it was unclear if he ever planned to make it right and pay them back.

“Not only did this man rob people of their hard earned savings with his financial scams but he victimized innocent children every time he looked at a piece of child pornography. This man seems to have no concept or caring for right and wrong and will be prosecuted under the full extent of the law for these horrific crimes.”

Attorney General Bill Schuette first learned of the crimes when one of the Ponzi scheme victims went to a local news reporter to warn other residents of the horrific scam. Apparently, it is alleged that Stupin would recruit new investors to pay $10K into the scheme, giving them the possibility that they could make three or more times the money they initially invested.

Allegedly, he would then eventually pay those investors who invested through new investors’ money, leaving a high percentage of those who invested out of their money, and leaving them in the dark about when they could see any return on their cash. The scheme came to light after no new investor signed up, and the investors were not paid for their initial money invested. One of the investors went to the press, in an attempt to warn others from falling for the alleged con man, according to Click on Detroit.

Click on Detroit explained that Michael’s laptop was searched to find evidence of his investment scheme. Upon investigation, law enforcement found images of underage children in sexual situtions. Alledgedly, Skupin admitted the pictures belonged to him, which led to the police stating the reality star will face up to six counts of child pornography charges, in addition to any other pending charges associated with the Ponzi scheme.

Most Survivor fans know Michael’s name and remember him as the contestant who fell hands first into the fire pit. He was medical evacuated from the game, and didn’t tell his family about his departure from the game until it aired on TV several months after he returned home. People reported that Skupin told his family that the burns he had on his hands were a result of a terrible sunburn. Up until his family saw his incident play out on TV, they believed his story.

Michael Skupin returned in 2012 to Survivor for redemption and became one of the most liked contestants of the season. In addition to his reality television stint, he is also a motivational speaker and author. He penned the book Discover Your Inner Strength— which was released in 2009.

The story is still developing, and more details will be available as Skupin’s next court appearance commences. Don’t forget to check back with Inquisitr later for more Survivor news, gossip, and updates!

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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