Final Tiger King Case Plays Out in Court

Five years after the true crime documentary Tiger King captivated a country shut down by COVID-19, the final legal troubles for one of its main characters are about to be resolved in a South Carolina courtroom. As the AP reports, Bhagavan "Doc" Antle faces up to 10 years in prison for trafficking in exotic animals and money laundering after pleading guilty in November 2023. Exactly what punishment prosecutors are asking for and any arguments for leniency from Antle's attorneys were kept from the public before Tuesday morning's hearing in federal court in Charleston. Three others who pleaded guilty in his investigation received either probation or a four-month prison sentence. Antle's sentence is the final true-life chapter of the Tiger King saga.

The show centered on dealers and conservationists of big cats, focusing on disputes between Joe Exotic, a collector and private zookeeper from Oklahoma, and Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue in Florida. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 21-year federal prison sentence for trying to hire two different men to kill Baskin. Antle, who owns a private zoo called Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in the first season of the documentary and was the star of the third season. Antle's zoo was known for charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to let people pet and hold baby lions, tigers, and monkeys that were so young they were still being bottle-fed.

Antle has remained out on bail since his arrest in June 2022. His federal charges were brought after the Tiger King series. Prosecutors said he sold or bought cheetahs, lions, tigers, and a chimpanzee without proper paperwork. They said in a separate scheme, Antle laundered more than $500,000 that an informant told him was being used to get people into the US illegally to work. The FBI was listening to Antle's phone calls with the informant as he explained a baby chimpanzee could easily cost $200,000. "I had to get a monkey, but the people won't take a check. They only take cash. So what do you do?" Antle said according to a transcript of the phone call in court papers. Two of Antle's employees have already been sentenced for their roles in his schemes.