You go on a reality television show, and you manage to win a prize. Along with your check the producers hand you a Form 1099-MISC. Do you:
(a) Report the winnings on your taxes, as the IRS will have those figures;
(b) File a tax return, but leave out the winnings. The IRS will never notice; or
(c) Don’t file a tax return for the year in question. After all, if it’s not written down, it never happened (and who cares about the millions of witnesses).
Richard Hatch tried course (b). It didn’t work particularly well. Actually, for tax bloggers it was wonderful. We got a ton of fun reports out of Mr. Hatch’s misadventures and his trip to ClubFed.
Adam Jasinski tried course (c). He also engaged in buying and selling of narcotics. He’s only facing one year for the tax charge, but he’s looking at 15 years for the drug charge. The TaxGirl, Robert Flach, and Joe Kristan all report on Mr. Jasinki’s attempt to channel the spirit of Richard Hatch.