Hatch doesn't survive appeal

Richard Hatch has lost has latest immunity challenge.

I'm not a fan of reality TV¹, but I can't help but be aware of the major stories and major players. So I was aware of Hatch's brilliant play in out-maneuvering his peers on the first season of Survivor, I was aware of Hatch's less brilliant play of filing fraudulent tax returns in 2000 and 2001, and I was aware that as a result, Hatch was spending 51 months at FCI:Morgantown.

They mustn't have liked him very much. All the "good" criminals go to Danbury².

Handing down its decision on Friday, the First Circuit rejected all of Hatch's claims and affirmed his conviction and sentence. I've got to admit that reading a lengthy appellate decision in a tax case doesn't get the blood flowing either south or north³, but I did a quick skim and decided on this money quote:

the court catalogued many instances in which Hatch had committed perjury, noting that the list was "a pretty long one" and included lying on the stand about his failure to disclose the income which formed the bases for the charges on which he was convicted and about his alleged failure to read the letter drafted by Wallis regarding the hypothetical Exhibit One which he then submitted for his tax return. The court further detailed false statements Hatch had made to the Probation Office concerning his assets.

So he's a lying liar, too. No wonder he was able to out(wit, last, play) his competitors on the island. Unfortunately for him, he was an amateur liar surrounded by pros once he got entangled in the courts.

---

1 I may not be a fan of the genre, but I respect the writing effort that the so-called producers on those shows do and fully support them getting to be covered and protected by the WGA.
2 Interesting (to me) sidenote. Back in the late '80s I was friends with a girl whose dad was the warden - or one of the associate wardens, I'm not completely clear - at Danbury. Not sure why I never took advantage of that to try to meet G. Gordon or the Rev. Moon. Could have been a fun afternoon.
3 Think about it for a minute...there you go. Now you've got it.