Paying taxes is painful… but reading about them shouldn’t be.
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“Survivor” winner Richard Hatch is finally a free man. The controversial TV personality, sometimes referred to as the “fat naked guy” on the show, has completed his sentence for tax evasion and related charges.
Hatch walked out of jail this morning, about 6 a.m.
But that doesn’t mean that he’s completely off the hook. Hatch must still serve three years of supervised release, complete a mental health program and pay the remainder of his taxes.
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Richard Hatch is not having a good year. After qualifying for early release from federal prison, where he was serving time on tax evasion charges, he was allowed to spend the remainder of his sentence at his sister’s house as house arrest. Hatch, not necessarily being the most conventional guy, apparently had a different interpretation of his media appearance rules than the Bureau of Prisons did: his recent stints on TV and radio landed him in hot water when he failed to get the proper permissions.
And Hatch went back to jail. He then asked to be able to return to his sister’s house to serve out the remainder of his sentence. A federal judge denied that request.
Now, Hatch is appealing that decision and he has a surprising ally: the ACLU. The ACLU has been concerned about Hatch’s treatment since returning to jail among allegations that Hatch is being punished for speaking out against prosecutors in his case. If you recall, Hatch doesn’t actually think he went to jail for cheating on his taxes – he told Matt Lauer that it has everything to do with being gay.
Hmm… So what’s Joe Francis’ excuse?
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Diego Maradona, formerly referred to by legions of football fans as “the Golden One”, lost more than weight when he checked into a weight loss clinic at the Hotel Palace health spa in Merano, Italy. The 48 year old former football (yeah, that’s soccer to my US readers) standout checked into the spa in an attempt to get his weight under control. While he was there, the Italian police confiscated the earrings he was wearing; the three diamond earrings were estimated to be worth just under $6,000.
That may seem like a lot – but it’s just a fraction of the more than 31 million euros (about $45 million) that Maradona allegedly owes. Tax authorities in Italy claim that Maradona accrued the taxes in the 80s and 90s when he played for the league club Napoli. His time with the team earned him a spot as on the list as one of the greatest players of all time. An internet vote for FIFA Player of the Century award tied him with football great Pelé.
You’d think Maradona would learn his lesson. Three years ago, Italian police confiscated two Rolex watches worth about $15,000 when he showed up to play in a benefit match. The police were allowed to make the seizure due to a court order that authorizes authorities to take anything “within plain sight” that belongs to Maradona.
Maradona, for his part, has taken the Richard Hatch approach and claims that has always insisted that the taxes are the responsibility of team Napoli as his employer and not his. (Psst, Maradona, it didn’t work for Hatch, either.)
Maradona is no stranger to controversy. He has previously faced suspensions and expulsions for failing doping tests for cocaine and ephedrine. Maradona’s history of drug abuse lead to significant problems with his weight. After a stomach stapling operation failed, Maradona headed to the Dolomites to try out a new weight loss regime… It seems that he lost a lot more than he bargained for.
(Image in the public domain.)
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I feel like I should send Richard Hatch a fruit basket or something for making it so easy to find things to blog about…
As you know, Richard Hatch has been serving time for tax evasion for, among other things, not paying the tax on his “Survivor” winnings. He requested and was granted house arrest for the remainder of his sentence. But apparently, he doesn’t quite get the idea behind house arrest… To leave the house, you have to ask permission from the federal Bureau of Prisons. Only, he didn’t quite do that.
He opted to do three television interviews on Tuesday, all three for NBC-affiliated shows, including the “Today” show. He only asked permission to do the one. So he’s back in the slammer.
During the interviews, Hatch repeatedly claimed that he was innocent of the tax evasion charges. He says that he will pay the IRS when he receives a bill (which he says has never happened). And he now says that his conviction is the result of “prosecutorial misconduct” and discrimination because he is gay. Right. Not the million dollars he chose to not report. Just because he’s gay.
Oh Richard, Richard, Richard…
You can watch the entire interview here (about 7-1/2 minutes long):
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