Richard Hatch may have made it through Survivor, but can he survive the Internal Revenue Service?
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Decades after winning the reality competition show, the star is in a lawsuit filed in 2022 with the federal government in Rhode Island over the money he won on Survivor's first season. His winnings at the time totaled $1,010,000.
Richard Hatch Owes Over Three Times as Much as He Won on "Survivor"
PEOPLE reports that on March 17, a judge ruled that Hatch owes $3,293,471.56, "plus statutory additions from and after May 13, 2024, including interest" that will continue to accrue until payment. This amount is from federal income tax liabilities from 2000, 2001 and 2012.
Additionally, the court documents state Hatch deeded two properties to his sister in 2003 and 2005 to avoid liens tied to his tax debt.
In 2010, the IRS mailed Hatch a Notice of Deficiency. He contested it, but his offers in compromise were denied. In 2012, a stipulated decision barred him from further contesting the liabilities.
The judge declared his verdict final. This allows "the United States to start to use the Federal Debt Collection Procedure."
The Survivor star appealed the decision two days after it was made. He is representing himself in the case.
"This appeal will be the first objective review of the facts," Hatch said in a statement. "I am confident that the appellate court's review of the full record - including evidence that was not adequately addressed below - will result in a just outcome."
He then added, "I have spent 25 years trying to do the right thing in a complicated situation, and I remain committed to resolving this matter fairly. I have nothing further to say while the appeal is pending."
Hatch Has a Long History of Legal Trouble
Twenty years ago, a jury found Hatch guilty of two counts of tax evasion. The charges stem from unpaid taxes from the tax years 2000 and 2001.
The Survivor star was sentenced to 51 months in jail, three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to file amended tax returns for 2000 and 2001 and pay the amounts owed in full.
Hatch failed to comply and was sent back to prison in 2011.
