New Season of Survivor: OZ

[cmw00]

And by that I don't mean Australia :lol:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060724/D8J2II509.html


Survivor' Hatch Sent to Oklahoma Prison


Jul 24, 4:08 PM (ET)

(AP) Richard Hatch, who won $1 million on the first season of the reality show "Survivor," is shown in...
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Richard Hatch has been sent to a federal prison in Oklahoma as he serves a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won on the debut season of "Survivor."

Hatch, 45, of Newport, arrived last week at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City. It wasn't immediately clear why Hatch was moved or whether he will serve out his prison sentence at the facility, which is a hub for prisoners transferring through the federal system.

A federal jury convicted Hatch in January of failing to pay taxes on the "Survivor" prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to 51 months in prison by a judge who said the reality TV star had lied repeatedly on the witness stand.

Hatch had previously been held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts.

He would prefer to serve his sentence near family in Rhode Island or in Florida, said his lawyer, Michael Minns.

"He should be in a camp," Minns said. "The camps are the most comfortable of the uncomfortable. They are still jails, but they get to see the sky and be outside. It's bad for Richard, who is an outdoor person."

Hatch became known on the CBS show as the "fat naked guy" for refusing to wear clothes.

[Shell]

How stupid do you have to be to win a million dollars on a hugely popular tv show and try to skip out on the taxes??

[Turbulence]

I heard that it was an accounting problem or something like that...not a deliberate attempt to evade taxes, though that may just be a rumor.

[cmw00]

Youd think if that were the case he'd be allowed to pay the taxes plus whatever intrest or penalties.

[pharmkat]

Speaking of Survivor...when does the next one start?

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Youd think if that were the case he'd be allowed to pay the taxes plus whatever intrest or penalties.


Yeah, federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison seems a bit harsh for an accounting mistake.

[puck_it]

*shrug* he might like it

[pharmkat]

*shrug* he might like it

Ha. That's so wrong. :p

[nccanes]

Yeah - I'm doubting the 'accounting error' angle.

One of the stories included an accusation that he'd lied on the witness stand as well (though I haven't read about perjury charges), but it sounds like Hatch wasn't just a "oops, I didn't pay my taxes" guy.

[livinthedream]

From our pals at Wikipedia, I thought he had been in trouble before this latest tax issue but couldn't remember the context:

Federal income tax problems

On January 19, 2005, the United States Attorney's Office in Providence, Rhode Island, reported that Hatch had failed to report the $1,010,000 he had received from the Survivor show on his Federal income tax returns (the additional $10,000 was paid for his appearance on the final episode). Hatch also allegedly failed to report approximately $321,000 he received that year for appearances on radio station WQSX-FM in Boston. Prosecutors stated Hatch would be charged with filing a false tax return. An agreement was arranged whereby Hatch was offered a lenient sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. Hatch withdrew from the arrangement. He subsequently said he was basing his defense on his belief (which he now acknowledges was not correct) that CBS had arranged to pay the taxes before awarding him the money.

Hatch was indicted on September 8, 2005. The 10 count indictment included all of the above charges, plus additional charges that he failed to report rental income from properties he owned, failed to declare an automobile he won on Survivor, used money as personal income that was paid to a charity organization he had set up, and had knowingly submitted false statements in the above transactions.

On January 25, 2006 a jury in Providence, Rhode Island found Hatch guilty of tax evasion. The verdict stated that Hatch did not pay taxes either on his "Survivor" winnings, or on $327,000 he earned as co-host of a Boston radio show and $28,000 in rent on property he owned. He was acquitted of seven bank, mail and wire fraud charges.

Hatch faced up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $600,000. On May 16, 2006 he was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence. He began serving his sentence at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts but was moved to the the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in July, 2006.[1] His inmate number is 05559-070. After sentencing his lawyer Michael Minns added: "It's bad for Richard, who is an outdoor person."

Other legal problems

Hatch was arrested in April 2000 on a charge of abusing his then 9-year-old son. That charge was later dropped. In 2002, Hatch was found not guilty of assaulting his ex-boyfriend. However, this charge cost him a game show host position on a gay version of a dating game shown on MTV at the time.