Former ‘Survivor’ Contestant Michael Skupin Convicted on Child Porn Charges

54-year old faces up to 16 years in prison

michael skupin
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“Survivor” alum Michael Skupin was found guilty of possessing child pornography by a Michigan court on Friday.

Skupin was found guilty on four of six charges by an Oakland County jury in the case after they deliberated for less than a day. He faces up to 16 years in prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 27, per ClickOnDetroit.

The images were discovered as the result of an investigation into a Ponzi scheme that Skupin was allegedly participating in.

According to the attorney general, an investigation was opened on Skupin after victims from his alleged Ponzi scheme contacted a local news reporter. Skupin is accused of recruiting investors and friends to partake in a “gifting scheme” called Pay it Forward, in which victims made $10,000 investments.

The investments would then be cycled through a chart in which participants were paid out of other new investors’ money.While searching Skupin’s laptop computer, investigators found images of underage children in sexual situations.

Skupin competed on the second season of the CBS reality series, a season that also included contestant Elisabeth Hasselbeck, at the time known as Elisabeth Filarski.Skupin was medically evacuated from the show after falling into a fire. He would appear on the show again 2012.

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