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Michael Skupin
Fame is not a good thing for Michael Skupin, 54, of Farmington Hills, a former contestant on the TV show, “Survivor.”
Skupin was arraigned Friday on 12 felony charges of child pornography, larceny and racketeering on claims he helped run a Ponzi scheme, The Detroit News reports. Authorities say victims put up $10,000 in the investment scheme and the child porn was discovered during the Ponzi scheme probe when investigators checked his laptop.
He is accused of using a “gifting scheme” called Pay It Forward to defraud investors, says Atty. Gen. Bill Schuette. Ponzi schemes generally involve using one person's money to pay another.
“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,” Schuette says. “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.”