Survivor Winner Richard Hatch Held in Protective Custody  4/12/06

Survivor winner Richard Hatch is being held in protective custody apart from other inmates until his sentencing later this month (APR06) on tax evasion charges.

Hatch, who won $1 million during the first season of the TV reality show, was found guilty in January (06) of failing to pay taxes on his winnings and other income.

He was immediately taken into custody because US District Court Judge Ernest Torres believed he posed a flight risk.

Hatch requested that he be put into protective custody shortly after he was detained, according to his attorney Michael Minns.

The 45-year-old is being held at a jail in Plymouth, Massachusetts until his sentencing on 25 April (06).

Supervisory deputy US marshal Charles Wyant said Hatch was placed in protective custody because he is a celebrity.

He explains, "The situation he's in is the best possible position for him to be in at this point in time, the safest and most secure."

Hatch faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison.