Richard Hatch has been sent to a federal prison in Oklahoma as he serves a 51-month sentence for failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won on the debut season of “Survivor.”
Hatch, 45, of Newport, arrived last week at the Federal Transfer Center in Oklahoma City. It wasn’t immediately clear why Hatch was moved or whether he will serve out his prison sentence at the facility, which is a hub for prisoners transferring through the federal system.
A federal jury convicted Hatch in January of failing to pay taxes on the “Survivor” prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to 51 months in prison by a judge who said the reality TV star had lied repeatedly on the witness stand.
Hatch had previously been held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts.
He would prefer to serve his sentence near family in Rhode Island or in Florida, said his lawyer, Michael Minns.
“He should be in a camp,” Minns said. “The camps are the most comfortable of the uncomfortable. They are still jails, but they get to see the sky and be outside. It’s bad for Richard, who is an outdoor person.”
Hatch became known on the CBS show as the “fat naked guy” for refusing to wear clothes.