Doc Antle Of ‘Tiger King’ Fame Sentenced For Animal Trafficking And Money Laundering

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who grew to fame in the Netflix documentary “Tiger King,” was sentenced to 12 months in prison and was fined about $197,000 after pleading guilty to animal trafficking and money laundering.

The “Tiger King” documentary garnered a massive audience from its debut during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns. During its two-season runtime, the documentary featured bouts between cult personality and gay polygamist Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage and rival Carole Baskin.

Many stars of the series have been sentenced on charges ranging from animal mistreatment to falsifying wildlife records to hiring hitmen. In 2020, Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years in prison, which was later reduced to 21 years upon appeal by his lawyers.

Antle owns Myrtle Beach Safari, a South Carolina wildlife reserve that offers personal encounters with endangered species such as tigers, cheetahs, and gibbons. It was through this zoo that Antle conducted illegal animal trafficking activities, which included illegally purchasing chimpanzee infants.

Antle was also involved with laundering over $500,000 in coordination with Andrew “Omar” Sawyer, which were reportedly the proceeds from an operation to illegally smuggle aliens across the southern border. Antle had attempted to launder the money by paying Myrtle Beach Safari for “construction-related services.”

Bryan Stirling, a U.S. attorney in South Carolina, said, “Doc Antle portrayed himself as a conservationist. But in reality, he was a key player in the illegal chimpanzee trade, and he laundered more than half a million dollars through a complex web of deceit.”

Sawyer’s conspiracy to launder money with Antle resulted in a sentencing of two years of probation, a fine of $185,000, and the forfeiture of a chimpanzee.

In a connected case, Shaylynn Kolwyck-Peterson pleaded guilty last month for selling a chimpanzee to Antle for $200,000 back in 2022.

Maldonado-Passage made news recently for marrying fellow inmate Jorge Flores Maldonado, a 33-year-old Mexican national, who was reported to be Maldonado-Passage’s sixth similar relationship, this past April. 

Flores was in prison for illegally entering the United States but was released in May. Days after his release, Flores was promptly deported by ICE. 

Flores’s deportation prompted Maldonado-Passage to appeal to President Donald Trump for both a pardon for himself and assistance in reuniting him with his husband.