Unapproved TV interviews land ‘Survivor’ Hatch in jail; lawyer says it’s a misunderstanding

Unapproved TV spots land ‘Survivor’ Hatch in jail

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The lawyer for “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch said Wednesday that her client was taken to jail because he granted two TV interviews without getting the required permission from the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Hatch had been serving the remainder of his prison term for tax evasion on home confinement at his sister’s home in Rhode Island. He granted three television interviews this week — to NBC’s “Today” show, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV and the NBC-owned “Access Hollywood.”

In the interviews, Hatch accused the prosecutor of misconduct and said the judge in the case discriminated against him because he was gay.

The Bureau of Prisons would not comment on Hatch’s case, but spokeswoman Traci Billingsley said prisoners on home confinement cannot grant interviews without first getting permission. Approval typically takes a few days, she said.

Hatch’s lawyer, Cynthia Ribas, said she had thought the permission Hatch got extended to all NBC properties, but federal rules consider each media outlet separate. Ribas said a lawyer for the Bureau of Prisons told her Wednesday that it had given permission for the “Today” show interview, but not the other two.

“I think this is a little misunderstanding that really has to do with the lawyer and the bureau and NBC’s communications,” she said.

All three interviews were filmed Monday at Hatch’s sister’s house in Newport, Ribas said. WJAR aired a small part of the interview Monday night, and more on Tuesday morning. The “Today” interview was aired Tuesday morning and the interview with “Access Hollywood” aired after Hatch was taken in by a sheriff’s deputy Tuesday afternoon.

Ribas said she and Hatch went through an extensive process to get permission to do the “Today” interview. She said that months ago when Hatch was in a halfway house, she had asked the Bureau of Prisons for permission to do four interviews, including with other TV networks, and they asked her to pare it down to one. Hatch chose NBC.

Ribas said the Bureau of Prisons then asked NBC to fill out paperwork to request permission for an interview. They got word last week that the interview was granted, she said.

Chris Lanni, content brand manager for WJAR-TV, the local NBC affiliate, said the station did not deal with the Bureau of Prisons, but arranged its interview through NBC Universal.

“We asked Hatch if he had permission, and he did,” Lanni said.

Hatch also called in twice to a show on WPRO-AM on Tuesday. Ribas said the Bureau of Prisons lawyer did not address that interview when he told her why Hatch was taken in.

Hatch was being held at the Barnstable County jail in Massachusetts. Billingsley said prisoners who are jailed after breaking the rules of home confinement could be moved back to a prison, to a halfway house or returned to home confinement after a hearing with a disciplinary officer.

Hatch was convicted in 2006 of failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he was awarded for winning the first season of the CBS reality show. He was given extra prison time for lying on the stand.

His term is scheduled to end Oct. 7.