Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Don't Mess with the Feds
Richard Hatch is Going to Jail...
I've always had a strange fascination with the show Survivor. Probably because I was unable to watch the much talked about first season back in 2000. Poor Elephant was studying to take a bar exam (legal, not drinking variety) and was putting in 19 hour days, seven days a week for three months...So, when I'd drag my sorry behind into the office and everyone was a twitter about this detail or that detail of the cast, I was like.."Wazza-Wazza? Television? What?" Ever since, I feel somewhat compelled to at least try to watch the show, somehow thinking that it will make up for that hazy time when I was studying so much my eyes bled.
Anyway, that may be a poor choice on my part, but I garuantee you it is a far better choice than was made by Survivor's first winner Richard Hatch. Mr. Hatch apparently feels that CBS should have taken the taxes out of his winnings as your or my employer may due. Sadly, that's usually not how it works, and I have no doubt that his CBS issued 1099 or whatever form they have for cash prizes is sitting on his cluttered desk underneath a stack of undergear catalogues. A sad defense and a poor choice of battles to fight.
Unlike state or local charges, when your indicted by the feds, chances are your going to do some time. Remember Al Capone? When the feds couldn't get him on racketeering, they went for tax evasion. Works everytime. I think the federal conviction rate is some where in the 90% range. So have fun in prison Mr. Hatch, I hear they treat the talent pretty well.
I've always had a strange fascination with the show Survivor. Probably because I was unable to watch the much talked about first season back in 2000. Poor Elephant was studying to take a bar exam (legal, not drinking variety) and was putting in 19 hour days, seven days a week for three months...So, when I'd drag my sorry behind into the office and everyone was a twitter about this detail or that detail of the cast, I was like.."Wazza-Wazza? Television? What?" Ever since, I feel somewhat compelled to at least try to watch the show, somehow thinking that it will make up for that hazy time when I was studying so much my eyes bled.
Anyway, that may be a poor choice on my part, but I garuantee you it is a far better choice than was made by Survivor's first winner Richard Hatch. Mr. Hatch apparently feels that CBS should have taken the taxes out of his winnings as your or my employer may due. Sadly, that's usually not how it works, and I have no doubt that his CBS issued 1099 or whatever form they have for cash prizes is sitting on his cluttered desk underneath a stack of undergear catalogues. A sad defense and a poor choice of battles to fight.
Unlike state or local charges, when your indicted by the feds, chances are your going to do some time. Remember Al Capone? When the feds couldn't get him on racketeering, they went for tax evasion. Works everytime. I think the federal conviction rate is some where in the 90% range. So have fun in prison Mr. Hatch, I hear they treat the talent pretty well.
