Nothing quite so certain as ... taxes

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Note to self: when winning $1 million in a very public manner, be sure to pay taxes.

'Survivor' Winner to Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Richard Hatch, a Rhode Island resident who became a millionaire when he won the first-ever "Survivor" series, has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion, for filing false tax returns.

Federal prosecutors charged that Hatch, 43, failed to report his $1.01 million winnings from the CBS show, and did not report another $321,000 he was paid by a Boston radio station.

The penalty could be up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge. However, as part of the plea agreement filed in federal court, the U.S. Attorney's office said it would recommend a lesser sentence.

Hatch is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Providence on Monday.

The charges were announced Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney's office. The details of the plea agreement appeared in court documents, which were signed last week by Hatch and filed Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Survivor Entertainment Group paid Hatch $10,000 in August 2000 for appearing on the final episode of the reality show and $1 million for being declared the show's winner. Prosecutors allege that in November 2002, Hatch filed a false personal income tax return for the 2000 tax year by failing to report the $1.01 million.

Prosecutors also said that Hatch failed to report income he earned during appearances on WQSX-FM in Boston between January and December 2001.

A message left at Hatch's Newport home was not immediately returned.


01-18-05 14:45 EST

 

[IronWolf]

THAT is absolutely hilarious!!!

 

[SpringPlum]

Why is stupid and rich people doing stupid things so funny?!?

 

[Turanil]

Why is stupid and rich people doing stupid things so funny?!?

In terms of d20 Modern this guy probably got everything in Tough and Strong levels, with highest scores in Constitution and Strength. Then, Intelligence was a dump stat for him.

Besides I don't consider him to be a "rich people". It's a commoner who got one million dollars per chance thanks to a TV show. Studies reveal (okay, I am mostly making it up ) that the poor remain poor. They don't know anything about money and can but do stupid things with it when getting huges sums from "nowhere", becoming poor again very quickly (not making it up totally: there was a survey about it on lottery winners in France). This guy probably thought that taxes would take him half of his million that he will never get a second time, and he would be poor again before having had the opportunity of enjoying his money. He probably thought that money gained from TV could be evaded fairly easily because it's money gained from so unusual sources (here Intelligence his dump stat). Well, all in all a sad story I think.

 

[DragonSword]

THAT is absolutely hilarious!!!

I dunno. Maybe the wind was just blowing really strong that day... it makes people do crazy things you know.

Though you'd have to be pretty stupid (or just REEEEEAAAAALLLLY greedy) to go on that show anyway, or any reality TV show, so it probably was just stupidity.

 

[Turanil]

You'd have to be pretty stupid to go on any reality TV show, so it probably was just stupidity.

Most probably! Words of wisdom here!!

 

[Greatwyrm]

This fall, CBS brings you Survivor: Levenworth! No cushy deserted islands. No pretty Austrailian outback. 24 brave souls will be dropped into the most dangerous environment on earth -- the American federal prison system.

 

[Blue_Kryptonite]

All I can say about winning a million dollars is... Sixty-Five percent. Six Hundred And Fifty Thousand Dollars in taxes. All of a sudden, a million isn't worth the effort. I can see where not appreciating that fact beforehand may have somewhat dampened the potentially already low-wattage rational impulses in that particular individual's moral structure. Espescially if he had somehow managed to spend the remaining 350K somehow without ever consulting a tax attourney to arrange investments and donations to arrange to keep more like fifty percent of it.

 

[Stone Angel]

Also the news reported that he did not report $321.00 dollars he was paid by a Boston radio station!


The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[Laurel]

And for his closing statement he comes to court naked.....

Maybe he and Martha S. can get together, and start a new survivor.
Maybe this time her team will win