Richard Hatch: Prison 'Survivor'

Richard Hatch, the man who became famous for winning the first installment of the massively popular reality TV series, Survivor, seems to be having difficulty adjusting to life in prison. Hatch started prison time in a prison camp in Massachusetts (Plymouth County Correctional Facility), then moved to the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma. Now, Hatch is spending quality time doing time at the Robert F. Kennedy Federal Correctional Institution, a minimum security prison in West Virginia.

Richard Hatch won the first installment of the massively popular CBS show, Survivor. His prize for winning was $1 million, but, after "forgetting" to pay taxes on his earnings, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Hatch got on the phone with the local newspaper, The Dominion Post of Morgantown, and talked about what he's doing now. ABC News quoted Hatch as confessing " I'm doing lots of intake stuff, like clothing and getting to know the place … but I don't think I will adjust to any of this until I can prove I was unethically prosecuted."

It's not all bad news for Richard Hatch, nor is it bad news for the inmates. Rumor has it that Hatch is spending his time on the inside tutoring inmates toward getting their GEDs, as well as honing their job-hunting skills. As for his popularity at his new-found correctional facility, Hatch said "Sure, people know my name … there are 1,300-plus inmates who think they know me, so it's an interesting experience. They all have questions want to know what this experience is like and what Survivor was about."

Richard Hatch is planning to appeal his 51 month sentence for tax evasion. While his lawyer preps his appeal, Hatch says he's going to spend his time in the slammer writing a book about his time on Survivor, as well as the legal troubles he's had. CBS News quoted him as saying "I'm focused on writing what has gone so terribly wrong. I'm not sure what conclusions I will draw. That will happen when I'm acquitted."

As for his appeal process, E Online nabbed a quote which had Hatch confessing "I'm guardedly optimistic--we have some excellent points."

Richard Hatch was originally under investigation from the United States Attorney's Office in Providence, Rhode Island, after the reported that Hatch did not report the $1 million winning from Survivor as income. As well as the grand prize, Hatch failed to report the additional $10,000 paid by CBS for his appearance on the final show. Later that year, it was discovered Hatch failed to report $321,000 he earned for appearances on a Boston radio station. His lawyer, Michael Minns, called Hatch "the world's worst bookkeeper," and claimed that Hatch's failure to pay his taxes was merely an oversight.

After refusing to accept a plea bargain, Hatch was indicted on September 8, 2005. He was found guilty on January 25, 2006, but a Providence, Rhode Island jury, and was sentenced 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release.

[Additional Sources: Dominion Post, ABC News, CBS News, E Online]