Richard Hatch (reality TV)
Encyclopedia
Richard "Rich" Hatch is the $1,000,000 winner of the first American Survivor series, and was a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice 4
.
appearance, Hatch was a corporate trainer from Newport, Rhode Island
. He spent five years in the United States Army
- two of them at the United States Military Academy
(would have been Class of 1986).
, the first edition of the show in the United States. He competed with the Tagi tribe, and quickly aligned with former Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch
. He also became notorious for playing naked, repeating the strategy later on Survivor: All-Stars
, where doing so resulted in a contentious incident with fellow Borneo and All-Star player Susan Hawk
.
Once Sonja Christopher and Stacey Stillman
were eliminated from the Tagi tribe, Hatch and Boesch
formed a voting alliance with the two remaining female members of the tribe, Kelly Wiglesworth
and Susan Hawk, who also had a strong bond. This left Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff as the only two to vote off. Dirk was voted off, and then Joel Klug was voted off of the Pagong tribe. A merge followed the elimination of Klug, and the tribes merged as Rattana at five members each. Sean Kenniff, the one remaining member of Tagi not in the alliance, voted using an alphabet
strategy. The tight four voted for Gretchen Cordy, while the other six votes were all different. Greg Buis was next to go, as he received votes from the five former Tagi members as well as Jenna Lewis
(who received the other three votes).
As the alliance continued to target the opposing tribe, Pagong, Jenna Lewis
and Gervase Peterson were eliminated next.
Due to the rift in the relationship between Susan Hawk and Kelly Wiglesworth, Wiglesworth quickly became the new target of the now 3-way alliance between Hawk, Boesch and Hatch. Wiglesworth had opted out of the alliance, a move that Susan considered cowardly and simply a way to show off to the jury, thinking this assured her of winning. Wiglesworth won immunity, and Colleen Haskell
was voted off. When Wiglesworth won immunity again, the 3-way alliance voted out Kenniff.
In the final four, Wiglesworth won immunity
again, ensuring that one of the alliance would be voted out. In a 2–2 tie (the first tie in Survivor history), Hatch and Hawk were both in danger of elimination
. When she revoted, Wiglesworth opted to eliminate Hawk, cementing the end of their friendship. At the Final Three immunity challenge, Hatch eliminated himself early, trusting both Wiglesworth and Boesch to take him to the Final Two regardless, and not wanting to go back on his word with Rudy if he himself won. When Wiglesworth won immunity, she voted out Rudy, making him the final member of the jury.
In the final two, Hatch was accused of being way too cocky and overall an evil person. But it was Hawk's comments that really struck home. Comparing Hatch to a snake, she claimed that she must vote for him as nature intended, because the snake must eat the rat, who was Wiglesworth. Clearly shaken by this statement, Wiglesworth would not acknowledge Hawk after the show, opting not to hug her.
Hatch became the first ever Sole Survivor in a 4–3 vote, gaining the votes of Rudy Boesch, Susan Hawk, Sean Kenniff, and Greg Buis. Buis asked Wiglesworth and Hatch to pick a number between one and ten.
was a very short but eventful one. As part of the Mogo Mogo tribe, they lost one member in Episode 3 when Survivor: The Amazon
winner Jenna Morasca
quit to be with her dying mother. When the Saboga tribe was dissolved in Episode 5, Mogo Mogo gained two extra members and when they lost immunity, they immediately targeted Hatch. Although Hatch got wind of his impending doom and put together a counter strategy, his plans were foiled and he was voted out. As the final vote was read he yelled, "I've been bamboozled!"
Before he was voted out, he was involved with an incident with Sue Hawk. During an immunity challenge, Hatch, while customarily naked, rubbed against Hawk. The next day, Hawk resigned from the game voluntarily, having been upset over the incident.
In 2008, Survivor host Jeff Probst
mentioned in an interview that Hatch smuggled a canister of matches onto Survivor: All-Stars "in a little container up his bum." The immediate result was that the Mogo Mogo tribe was able to get fire early on in the game. Since this incident all contestants are now strip searched.
He had a cameo as a patient in the Becker
episode "One Wong Move" where Ted Danson
's character received him as a patient, discussing the bizarre eating habits of the people on the television show, and mentioning that he didn't mind if he had to take his clothes off.
He appeared as himself (and naked) in the 2006 film Another Gay Movie
.
He also appeared on the fourth celebrity edition
of The Apprentice
.
, reported that Hatch had failed to report the $1,010,000 he had received from the Survivor show on his Federal income tax returns (the additional $10,000 was paid for his appearance at the live Survivor reunion after the finale). Hatch also allegedly failed to report approximately $321,000 that he received that year for appearances on Boston
's WQSX-FM
radio station. Prosecutors stated Hatch would be charged with filing a false tax return. An agreement was arranged, whereby Hatch was offered a lenient sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. Hatch withdrew from the arrangement. He subsequently said he was basing his defense on his belief (which he now acknowledges was not correct) that CBS
had arranged to pay the taxes before awarding him the money.
Hatch was indicted
on September 8, 2005. The 10-count indictment included all of the above charges, plus additional charges that he failed to report rental income from properties he owned, failed to declare an automobile that he won on Survivor, used money as personal income that was paid to a charity organization that he had set up, and had knowingly submitted false statements in the above transactions. On January 25, 2006, a jury in Providence, Rhode Island
found Hatch guilty of tax evasion. The verdict stated that Hatch evaded taxes on his Survivor winnings, on $327,000 he earned as co-host of a radio show, and on $28,000 in rent on property he owned. He was acquitted of seven bank, mail and wire fraud charges.
Hatch faced up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $600,000. On May 16, 2006, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence. He began serving his sentence at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility
in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In July 2006, he was moved for a short period of time to the Federal Transfer Center
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, before being placed at the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown
, West Virginia
, on August 2, 2006. On December 7, 2006, Hatch filed an appeal of his conviction in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
in Boston. He claimed that the trial judge prevented him from arguing that he had made a deal with CBS, whereby CBS would pay his taxes on his winnings, and he stated that CBS cheated on Survivor by providing food to other contestants.
On February 1, 2008, Hatch's conviction was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The Court stated that Hatch was given several opportunities to testify about the alleged deal, but he never took the opportunity. In a 52-page decision, the Court ruled, "The failure of Hatch to present any evidence of such conversations when invited by the court strongly suggested that no actual promises were made, and no such 'deal' actually existed. It was not the court's right, much less duty, to put words in Hatch's mouth." On May 23, 2008, Hatch petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court
for a writ of certiorari
, asking that court to review the First Circuit decision. The Court denied the writ without comment on October 6, 2008.
Hatch, who had the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Register #05559-070, was released on Thursday, May 14, 2009, to serve a period of home confinement. On July 7, 2009, Hatch filed a petition with the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
for a seven week leave from his home confinement to appear in an anniversary season for Survivor, starting in Samoa
on August 2009. The request was denied by the court.
On August 18, 2009, he was re-arrested and taken into federal custody for granting two supposedly unauthorized interviews (prisoners under house arrest are required to get permission from the federal Bureau of Prisons before any media contact), one with Access Hollywood
and another with Rhode Island
NBC affiliate WJAR
. He had been allowed by the Bureau of Prisons to be interviewed by Today, earlier in the day. On September 9, 2009, Hatch's private and ACLU lawyers petitioned for habeas corpus, so he might return home for the remainder of his sentence, on the grounds that prison media-access rules apply only in prison, and that permissions are negotiated between the media and the prison, so their limitations did not bind Hatch.
Hatch contends that he was prosecuted because of his homosexuality
. Former U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente
, whose office had the responsibility for Hatch's prosecution, responded that Hatch was "delusional". On October 16, 2009, Hatch was released from prison after completing his federal sentence. Hatch was back in federal court on December 15, 2010, in connection with a charge that he violated the terms of his release by failing to file federal income tax returns. On March 11, 2011, he was sentenced to nine months of incarceration, to be followed by a supervised release for 26 months. Hatch was ordered to surrender to the United States Marshal no later than noon on Monday, March 14, 2011. He is expected to be released on December 12, 2011.
The Apprentice (U.S. season 11)
The Celebrity Apprentice 4 is the eleventh installment of the United States version of the reality television series, The Apprentice. On May 16, 2010, NBC announced that the show would be returning to its Celebrity Apprentice format after returning to its regular version for the tenth season of...
.
Early life
Prior to his SurvivorSurvivor (U.S. TV series)
Survivor is an American version of the Survivor reality television game show, itself derived from the Swedish television series Expedition Robinson originally created in 1997 by Charlie Parsons. The series premiered on May 31, 2000 on CBS...
appearance, Hatch was a corporate trainer from Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. He spent five years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- two of them at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
(would have been Class of 1986).
Survivor: Borneo
Hatch competed in Survivor: BorneoSurvivor: Borneo
Survivor: Borneo is the first season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was originally broadcast under the name Survivor but its official title was changed to Survivor: Pulau Tiga to distinguish it from subsequent installments of the series, and then changed again to Survivor: Borneo to...
, the first edition of the show in the United States. He competed with the Tagi tribe, and quickly aligned with former Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch is a former Navy SEAL. After his honorable discharge, he was the oldest competitor on Survivor: Borneo at 72 years of age, where he finished in third place. He set the record again when he competed on Survivor: All-Stars at 75. He currently lives in Virginia Beach.-Military...
. He also became notorious for playing naked, repeating the strategy later on Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
, where doing so resulted in a contentious incident with fellow Borneo and All-Star player Susan Hawk
Susan Hawk
Susan "Sue" Hawk was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo and Survivor: All-Stars...
.
Once Sonja Christopher and Stacey Stillman
Stacey Stillman
Stacey Stillman was a contestant of the first season of the CBS reality television series Survivor, which aired in 2000 and was set in Borneo.Before Survivor, Stillman was an attorney in San Francisco, California...
were eliminated from the Tagi tribe, Hatch and Boesch
Rudy Boesch
Rudy Boesch is a former Navy SEAL. After his honorable discharge, he was the oldest competitor on Survivor: Borneo at 72 years of age, where he finished in third place. He set the record again when he competed on Survivor: All-Stars at 75. He currently lives in Virginia Beach.-Military...
formed a voting alliance with the two remaining female members of the tribe, Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth
Kelly Wiglesworth is the runner-up on the original American version of the CBS reality series Survivor.-Survivor:...
and Susan Hawk, who also had a strong bond. This left Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff as the only two to vote off. Dirk was voted off, and then Joel Klug was voted off of the Pagong tribe. A merge followed the elimination of Klug, and the tribes merged as Rattana at five members each. Sean Kenniff, the one remaining member of Tagi not in the alliance, voted using an alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
strategy. The tight four voted for Gretchen Cordy, while the other six votes were all different. Greg Buis was next to go, as he received votes from the five former Tagi members as well as Jenna Lewis
Jenna Lewis
Jenna Lewis was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo , finishing eighth, and Survivor: All-Stars , finishing third. She later gained further fame for her 2004 sex tape which circulated on the Internet....
(who received the other three votes).
As the alliance continued to target the opposing tribe, Pagong, Jenna Lewis
Jenna Lewis
Jenna Lewis was a contestant on Survivor: Borneo , finishing eighth, and Survivor: All-Stars , finishing third. She later gained further fame for her 2004 sex tape which circulated on the Internet....
and Gervase Peterson were eliminated next.
Due to the rift in the relationship between Susan Hawk and Kelly Wiglesworth, Wiglesworth quickly became the new target of the now 3-way alliance between Hawk, Boesch and Hatch. Wiglesworth had opted out of the alliance, a move that Susan considered cowardly and simply a way to show off to the jury, thinking this assured her of winning. Wiglesworth won immunity, and Colleen Haskell
Colleen Haskell
Colleen Marie Haskell is an American television producer and actress. She was a contestant on the first season of the American reality show Survivor.-Survivor:...
was voted off. When Wiglesworth won immunity again, the 3-way alliance voted out Kenniff.
In the final four, Wiglesworth won immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...
again, ensuring that one of the alliance would be voted out. In a 2–2 tie (the first tie in Survivor history), Hatch and Hawk were both in danger of elimination
Elimination
- Science and medicine :*Elimination reaction, an organic reaction in which two functional groups split to form an organic product*Elimination, clearance of a drug or other foreign agent from the body...
. When she revoted, Wiglesworth opted to eliminate Hawk, cementing the end of their friendship. At the Final Three immunity challenge, Hatch eliminated himself early, trusting both Wiglesworth and Boesch to take him to the Final Two regardless, and not wanting to go back on his word with Rudy if he himself won. When Wiglesworth won immunity, she voted out Rudy, making him the final member of the jury.
In the final two, Hatch was accused of being way too cocky and overall an evil person. But it was Hawk's comments that really struck home. Comparing Hatch to a snake, she claimed that she must vote for him as nature intended, because the snake must eat the rat, who was Wiglesworth. Clearly shaken by this statement, Wiglesworth would not acknowledge Hawk after the show, opting not to hug her.
Hatch became the first ever Sole Survivor in a 4–3 vote, gaining the votes of Rudy Boesch, Susan Hawk, Sean Kenniff, and Greg Buis. Buis asked Wiglesworth and Hatch to pick a number between one and ten.
Survivor: All-Stars
Hatch's appearance on Survivor: All-StarsSurvivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
was a very short but eventful one. As part of the Mogo Mogo tribe, they lost one member in Episode 3 when Survivor: The Amazon
Survivor: The Amazon
Survivor: The Amazon is the sixth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2002 and 13 episodes aired weekly in the United States on CBS from February 13 - May 11, 2003....
winner Jenna Morasca
Jenna Morasca
Jenna Morasca is an American actress, former swimsuit model and American reality TV contestant who was the million-dollar grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon and previously worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
quit to be with her dying mother. When the Saboga tribe was dissolved in Episode 5, Mogo Mogo gained two extra members and when they lost immunity, they immediately targeted Hatch. Although Hatch got wind of his impending doom and put together a counter strategy, his plans were foiled and he was voted out. As the final vote was read he yelled, "I've been bamboozled!"
Before he was voted out, he was involved with an incident with Sue Hawk. During an immunity challenge, Hatch, while customarily naked, rubbed against Hawk. The next day, Hawk resigned from the game voluntarily, having been upset over the incident.
In 2008, Survivor host Jeff Probst
Jeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
mentioned in an interview that Hatch smuggled a canister of matches onto Survivor: All-Stars "in a little container up his bum." The immediate result was that the Mogo Mogo tribe was able to get fire early on in the game. Since this incident all contestants are now strip searched.
Other appearances
- Hatch appeared on an all-reality show edition of the short lived game show Dog Eat DogDog Eat Dog (game show)Dog Eat Dog is a Saturday night British game show on BBC One hosted by Ulrika Jonsson, which ran from 14 April 2001 to 2 November 2002. It was devised by David Young, then a BBC producer...
. He lost his challenge and was placed in the show's "dog pound".
- In August 2005, Hatch was a contestant of Battle of the Network Reality StarsBattle of the Network Reality StarsBattle of the Network Reality Stars is a television series that aired on the Bravo channel in the US in August and September 2005. Based on the popular 1970s and 1980s television competition Battle of the Network Stars, the show consisted of thirty-three competitors from several different reality...
in which his team lost in the finals.
- He also appeared on the Australian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Australian game show)Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? was an Australian television game show which would offer a maximum cash prize of $1,000,000 for answering 15 successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty as a team...
(hosted by Eddie McGuireEddie McGuireEdward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
). He didn't do the (11 x 12) and got his fourth question wrong, becoming the first person in Australian Millionaire history to go home with AU$0.
- In an issue of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, Mark BurnettMark BurnettMark Burnett is a British television producer and executive producer, based in the United States. He currently is the executive producer of five network television series with seven hours of network programming. Works with which Burnett is associated have won multiple awards and recognition...
said that if Hatch was not under house arrest, he would have been invited for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
He had a cameo as a patient in the Becker
Becker (TV series)
Becker is an American television sitcom that ran from 1998 to 2004 on CBS. Set in the New York City borough of The Bronx, the show starred Ted Danson as John Becker, a misanthropic doctor who operates a small practice and is constantly annoyed by his patients, co-workers, friends, and practically...
episode "One Wong Move" where Ted Danson
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm and starred alongside Glenn Close...
's character received him as a patient, discussing the bizarre eating habits of the people on the television show, and mentioning that he didn't mind if he had to take his clothes off.
He appeared as himself (and naked) in the 2006 film Another Gay Movie
Another Gay Movie
Another Gay Movie is a 2006 gay romantic comedy film directed by Todd Stephens. It satirically follows four gay friends, Andy, Jarod, Nico and Griff, who vow upon graduating high school that they will all lose their "anal virginity" before their bull dyke friend Muffler's big Labor Day party...
.
He also appeared on the fourth celebrity edition
The Apprentice (U.S. season 11)
The Celebrity Apprentice 4 is the eleventh installment of the United States version of the reality television series, The Apprentice. On May 16, 2010, NBC announced that the show would be returning to its Celebrity Apprentice format after returning to its regular version for the tenth season of...
of The Apprentice
The Apprentice (U.S. TV series)
The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
.
Personal life
Hatch is a licensed real estate agent, and has also worked as a car salesman and a bartender.Tax evasion conviction and imprisonment
On January 19, 2005, the United States Attorney's Office in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, reported that Hatch had failed to report the $1,010,000 he had received from the Survivor show on his Federal income tax returns (the additional $10,000 was paid for his appearance at the live Survivor reunion after the finale). Hatch also allegedly failed to report approximately $321,000 that he received that year for appearances on Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's WQSX-FM
WMKK
WEEI-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Lawrence, Massachusetts. The station has a sports talk format, simulcast with WEEI . Along with its AM sister, it carries Boston Red Sox baseball, Boston Celtics basketball, and the Boston College football and basketball teams. When local programming...
radio station. Prosecutors stated Hatch would be charged with filing a false tax return. An agreement was arranged, whereby Hatch was offered a lenient sentence in exchange for a guilty plea. Hatch withdrew from the arrangement. He subsequently said he was basing his defense on his belief (which he now acknowledges was not correct) that CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
had arranged to pay the taxes before awarding him the money.
Hatch was indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
on September 8, 2005. The 10-count indictment included all of the above charges, plus additional charges that he failed to report rental income from properties he owned, failed to declare an automobile that he won on Survivor, used money as personal income that was paid to a charity organization that he had set up, and had knowingly submitted false statements in the above transactions. On January 25, 2006, a jury in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
found Hatch guilty of tax evasion. The verdict stated that Hatch evaded taxes on his Survivor winnings, on $327,000 he earned as co-host of a radio show, and on $28,000 in rent on property he owned. He was acquitted of seven bank, mail and wire fraud charges.
Hatch faced up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $600,000. On May 16, 2006, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence. He began serving his sentence at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility
Plymouth County Correctional Facility
Plymouth County Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Plymouth, Massachusetts Operated by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department. The prison is the largest prison in Plymouth, and is much larger than the Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Plymouth, located in the...
in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In July 2006, he was moved for a short period of time to the Federal Transfer Center
Federal Transfer Center, Oklahoma City
The Federal Transfer Center , located on the western edge of Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is an administrative facility of the Federal Bureau of Prisons that houses male and female holdover offenders....
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, before being placed at the minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, on August 2, 2006. On December 7, 2006, Hatch filed an appeal of his conviction in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...
in Boston. He claimed that the trial judge prevented him from arguing that he had made a deal with CBS, whereby CBS would pay his taxes on his winnings, and he stated that CBS cheated on Survivor by providing food to other contestants.
On February 1, 2008, Hatch's conviction was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The Court stated that Hatch was given several opportunities to testify about the alleged deal, but he never took the opportunity. In a 52-page decision, the Court ruled, "The failure of Hatch to present any evidence of such conversations when invited by the court strongly suggested that no actual promises were made, and no such 'deal' actually existed. It was not the court's right, much less duty, to put words in Hatch's mouth." On May 23, 2008, Hatch petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
for a writ of certiorari
Certiorari
Certiorari is a type of writ seeking judicial review, recognized in U.S., Roman, English, Philippine, and other law. Certiorari is the present passive infinitive of the Latin certiorare...
, asking that court to review the First Circuit decision. The Court denied the writ without comment on October 6, 2008.
Hatch, who had the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
Register #05559-070, was released on Thursday, May 14, 2009, to serve a period of home confinement. On July 7, 2009, Hatch filed a petition with the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island
The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the Constitution...
for a seven week leave from his home confinement to appear in an anniversary season for Survivor, starting in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
on August 2009. The request was denied by the court.
On August 18, 2009, he was re-arrested and taken into federal custody for granting two supposedly unauthorized interviews (prisoners under house arrest are required to get permission from the federal Bureau of Prisons before any media contact), one with Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
and another with Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
NBC affiliate WJAR
WJAR
WJAR is the NBC-affiliated television station for the state of Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts licensed to Providence. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter in Rehoboth, Massachusetts...
. He had been allowed by the Bureau of Prisons to be interviewed by Today, earlier in the day. On September 9, 2009, Hatch's private and ACLU lawyers petitioned for habeas corpus, so he might return home for the remainder of his sentence, on the grounds that prison media-access rules apply only in prison, and that permissions are negotiated between the media and the prison, so their limitations did not bind Hatch.
Hatch contends that he was prosecuted because of his homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. Former U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente
Robert Clark Corrente
Robert Clark Corrente was the United States Attorney for the state of Rhode Island.- Early career :...
, whose office had the responsibility for Hatch's prosecution, responded that Hatch was "delusional". On October 16, 2009, Hatch was released from prison after completing his federal sentence. Hatch was back in federal court on December 15, 2010, in connection with a charge that he violated the terms of his release by failing to file federal income tax returns. On March 11, 2011, he was sentenced to nine months of incarceration, to be followed by a supervised release for 26 months. Hatch was ordered to surrender to the United States Marshal no later than noon on Monday, March 14, 2011. He is expected to be released on December 12, 2011.
External links
- Hatch's criminal indictment on The Smoking GunThe Smoking GunThe Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is damning, shocking, outrageous, or amazing, yet also somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources...