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Former Reality Star In Court On Charges Of Child Porn, Racketeering

CLARKSTON (WWJ) - A pre-trail exam in a suburban Detroit courtroom heard testimony from several investors who claim they were scammed by a former reality star.

Mike Skupin, a former contestant on Survivor, heard previous investors tell the court how they were taken to the cleaners by his alleged investment scheme.

Businessman Nabil Beydoun said he was convinced by Skupin's sales pitch to put down $10,000 back in 2013 under the guise of a return of three-times his investment, but it didn't take long before he realized he might not get it back.

"I called him several times, I emailed him, I texted him," said Beydoun, "but then he said things blew up in his face and he was too busy and he was traveling all over and he didn't have time to meet."

On cross-examination Beydoun said that he was convinced by Skupin's promises of helping his own business.

"The first day we met - he promised that whenever we want our money - he would give it back to us right away, and I asked him back for the money and nothing happened," said Beydoun.

Clark Justin invested $1,400 in Skupin's multi-level program and never received a return, even though he was told he could get it back eight times over.

"In one of his emails to me, he says: 'What turned out to be a hobby is now turning out to be a nice business venture,' -- and I said, 'I don't understand what the word hobby is all about -- where's my money?'"

On cross-examination, Justin admitted that he never did any research into the operation and he understood there was a risk in making an investment.

Skupin is also charged with child pornography, authorities say it was discovered on his computer during the initial racketeering probe.

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