 Richard Hatch could face up to five years in jail |
US reality TV series Survivor's first winner, Richard Hatch, is in trouble with tax authorities after allegedly failing to declare his $1m prize. Mr Hatch, 43, has been accused of not paying tax on the $1.01m (�538,000) he got from the show in 2000 plus $321,000 (�171,000) salary from a radio station.
He could face up to five years in jail and a $250,000 (�133,000) fine for each of two charges of tax evasion.
More than 50 million viewers saw him win the contest on a remote island.
He had to outwit and outperform 15 fellow contestants and endured tasks such as eating insects and rats, walking on hot coals and standing for hours in the sun on a tree stump.
Plea bargain
Mr Hatch, of Newport, Rhode Island, may agree to plead guilty in an agreement that would see him receive a lesser sentence.
The deal would also see him pay back between $200,000 and $400,000 in unpaid tax.
Prosecutors said he filed false tax returns for 2000 and 2001. They added that included a failure to report earnings as a co-host on WQSX-FM in Boston in 2001.
Survivor became one of the most successful series on US television and is about to begin its 10th season.
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