Feds recommend jail sentence for TV's "Survivor" champ Richard Hatch

Reality TV's "Survivor" champ Richard Hatch, who spent over three years in prison due to tax evasion, should face more jail time for violating the conditions of his supervised release, governmental prosecutors announced earlier this week.

In 2006, Hatch was convicted of neglecting taxes on the $1 million award he won on the first season of "Survivor." In 2009, Hatch was released and placed on a three-year supervised release.

Probation officers accused Hatch of violating his release terms by neglecting to submit amended tax returns for 2000 and 2001. The judge agreed that he was in violation of the terms of his release, in addition to the tax issue, but chose to withhold punishment until he could hear more from both sides.

Hatch has a debt of $1.7 million in back taxes and claims he did not refile his taxes because he has a pending appeal with the U.S. Tax Court. His lawyer argued in court papers that Hatch was simply following standard procedure by not filing new tax returns while his appeal was pending. Hatch asked the judge to not sentence him to jail time.

Assistant U.S. Attorney did not say how long he believes Hatch should be behind bars, although he currently faces up to about two years - or the remainder of his release. The top attorneys said Hatch has a history of defying orders from the court.

The Assistant U.S. Attorney wrote in a letter: "The defendant's punishment for violating the terms of his supervised release should take into account the fact that the defendant has failed to accept responsibility for his conduct, that he has disregarded the order of the court, and that he has continued to make false representations to the court just as he did during his trial."

"He is only making the issue worse by neglecting the courts," said a Corpus Christi tax lawyer who is tracking the case. The courts will likely show him no mercy, he added.

Hatch earned the reputation as reality TV's first villain when he topped the "Survivor" competition with a winning blend of smarts and ruthlessness.

He was prosecuted in Rhode Island, where Hatch lives, for failing to pay his taxes on his "Survivor" prize money as well as other income. Hatch was sentenced to 51 months behind bars, with a judge adding extra prison time for lying in court.

Hatch, who is openly gay, argues that he was unfairly sentenced partly due to his sexuality - a complaint prosecutors claim is absurd.