Survive this!
Richard Hatch, the stubbled, Machiavellian contestant who won the top prize on the original “Survivor” series, is in hot water with the IRS for not declaring his $1 million reality-TV windfall.
In papers unsealed in federal court in Rhode Island, the IRS charged that the often-nude, always stubborn 43-year-old star of the wildly popular show filed false tax returns for 2000 and 2001.
The feds claim that not only did the tempestuous Newport resident fail to tell them about his “Survivor” winnings in 2000, he also didn’t bother to report $321,000 paid to him by a Boston radio station where he worked as an on-air host in 2001.
Officials said Hatch had agreed to plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion.
The penalty could have been up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge – but as part of a plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said it would recommend a lesser sentence.
Hatch will also have to pay back what he owes in taxes, but the amount wasn’t specified.
With Post Wire Services