Survivor winner pleads innocent
Richard Hatch, who won $1 million on the first season of Survivor pleaded innocent on Monday to charges that he failed to pay taxes on winning from the show. He has been charged with tax evasion, filling a false tax return, wire fraud, bank fraud and mail fraud. Hatch called the accusations absurd.
Hatch had two accountants prepare tax returns for 2000 that included his “Survivor” winnings, but he did not file them when he learned he would owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, the indictment said. In 2002, he had one of the accountants prepare a second return that did not include his winnings from the television show. He filed that one, which called for a $4,500 refund, the indictment said.
He could spend 75 years in prison if found guilty on all charges and face millions in fines…..
Well, don’t know if it is true or not (for a jury to decide) but the ruthless competitor from Survivor may have an even tougher time surviving this one!
Time will tell….