Survive this: 51 months in prison
Richard Hatch, who won $1 million in the debut season of “Survivor,” was sentenced in Providence, R.I., Tuesday to 51 months in prison for failing to pay income taxes on his reality TV prize and other earnings.
Hatch, 45, was convicted in January. The charges carried a maximum of 13 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres said he issued a harsher than expected sentence because Hatch had committed perjury repeatedly during his trial.
“It seems unfortunately very clear to me that Mr. Hatch lied,” Torres said. When Hatch was convicted, Torres said he expected to sentence him to 33 to 41 months.
Hatch claimed he thought the show’s producers would pay his taxes and pleaded ignorance about money matters, saying he forgot to tell his accountants about some income.
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