‘Survivor’ Champ Says He’s Victim of ‘Witch Hunt’

BOSTON (AP) – ‘Survivor’ winner Richard Hatch says he’s the victim of a “witch hunt” by federal prosecutors.

Hatch completed a tax evasion sentence earlier this month. He complained to NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday that he was taken from his sister’s apartment while wearing boxer shorts in August and held in solitary confinement for 30 days after granting TV interviews without permission.

He called it “the worst time of my time in prison.”

Watch Full Episodes of ‘Survivor: Samoa’

But Barnstable County, Mass., Sheriff James Cummings says Hatch refused to get dressed when deputies arrived to take him to jail. The sheriff also disputes that Hatch was in solitary confinement.

Cummings calls Hatch “a stranger to the truth.” A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Providence, R.I., would not comment.

Hatch was convicted in 2006 of failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he won in 2000 on the CBS reality show.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More on These Topics: Richard Hatch | Survivor