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(Morgantown, West Virginia) Richard Hatch, who won the $1 million prize on the debut season of
"Survivor," says he's finding it difficult to adjust to life in
prison.
The openly gay Hatch, 45, of Newport, R.I., was convicted by a federal jury in January of
failing to pay taxes on the prize and other income. He was sentenced in May to
51 months in prison by a judge who said the reality TV star had repeatedly lied
on the witness stand.
He arrived at the minimum-security facility in Morgantown on July 25.
Hatch, who became known as the "fat naked guy" for refusing to wear
clothes on the CBS show, is now required to wear khaki shirts and pants.
"I'm doing lots of intake stuff, like clothing and getting to know the
place ... but I don't think I will adjust to any of this until I can prove I was
unethically prosecuted," he told The Dominion Post of Morgantown during a
phone interview Wednesday.
Hatch said he will be tutoring inmates, helping them to earn their GEDs and
hone their job-hunting skills.
"Sure, people know my name ... there are 1,300-plus inmates who think
they know me, so it's an interesting experience," he said. "They all
have questions — want to know what this experience is like and what `Survivor'
was about."
While his lawyer works on his appeal, Hatch said he is using his time to read
and write a book about his experiences on "Survivor" and his
subsequent legal problems.
"I'm focused on writing what has gone so terribly wrong," he said.
©365Gay.com 2006
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