Shawn Sheikhan’s Past comes back to Haunt Him

Several stories have been circulating about Sharhram Sheikhan, otherwise known as Shawn or Iron Sheik, and his past. Apparently in 1995 Shawn served nine months in jail for three misdemeanor counts of child molestation. His past first came to light on the gambling911 site and has spread from there. One blog found that Shawn had a MySpace page. Questions were raised as to why he would have a MySpace (which is generally for young teens) than a Facebook page which is generally for college age and older.

Shawn faced deportation charges last fall when the former charges came to the surface. The proceedings were later stopped when a judge cited a lack of documents supporting the claims. In an interview after his trial all those years ago, Shawn defended himself and called the event a big misunderstanding. He said he owned the store where the victims (a 16 and 17 year old) would come in. He said: "[We] had tons of girls and guys who wanted to hang out and be part of something. All day long I would have to hear what guys they wanted to be with ... they were constantly talking about sex." Sheikhan added, "I am not a criminal. I'm a businessman. I don't prey on young girls."

Shawn is currently a reoccurring star on NBC's Poker After Dark series. He is known for his aggressive and strongly competitive nature at the poker table. We will see if any of the stories coming out about his past will affect his poker status and if he will continue to be seen on the TV show.