A rival of infamous big animal collector Joe Exotic is making new headlines June 6 after being arrested on his South Carolina compound by the Federal Bureau of Investigation this weekend.
Exotic starred in pandemic-darling documentary “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” It chronicled the increasingly violent interactions between Joe Exotic, fellow collector and zoo operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle and animal rights and zoo owner Carole Baskin.
Each claimed to have found the one true way to care for exotic big cats, but they all charged money for the public to see, learn about and even handle cubs at their various establishments.
All three have also faced increased scrutiny from authorities in the years since the pandemic began, as their notoriety grew.
Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — is currently serving out a 21-year prison sentence for hiring two people to assassinate Baskin. He was convicted in January 2020 and had a long series of run-ins with Baskin previously over her criticism of how he ran his animal park.
"Prosecutors said Maldonado-Passage offered $10,000 to an undercover FBI agent to kill Baskin during a recorded December 2017 meeting," the Associated Press reported.
"In the recording, he told the agent, 'Just like follow her into a mall parking lot and just cap her and drive off.'"
Now, it looks like Antle may be following him into the prison system.
Money Laundering and Lions?
Antle, who runs an animal park and breeding program for large cats in Myrtle Beach, S.C., is now facing money laundering charges in federal court, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Antle was booked in Horry County, S.C., and sent to a detention center there after his arrest by federal agents, county records available online show.
Citing a person familiar with the matter, the paper reports that Antle now faces two federal counts, including one to commit money laundering and a count of conspiracy. That source said that Antle will face court proceedings on Monday.
"In addition to the federal charges against him, he is also facing charges in Virginia of wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty," the Journal reports.
Antle raised eyebrows during his appearance in the documentary for his polyamorous relationships and allegations that he forced female employees to undergo plastic surgery and often had them work long hours without pay.
Longstanding Accusations
Antle has long been target by animal activists who say that his animal park and education program are simply a cover for the trafficking of exotic animals.
“It’s fitting that “Doc” Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops," Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETA’s Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, said in a statement.
"His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent ‘charity’ scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can’t come soon enough,” it read.
Court dockets have been full of charges related to Antle and his animal operations for decades, NBC News reports.
"Antle has a history of recorded violations, going as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia," it reports.
"Over the years, he has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.'
