It looks like Doc Antle has one less criminal charge to worry about this week. The Tiger King star just scored a major win in court after having all criminal charges dropped involving the purchase of some lion cubs. He’s calling it “total vindication,” but a quick glance at his rap sheet suggests otherwise. The disgraced “zookeeper” still got plenty of other charges attached to his name.
Doc Antle still faces consequences from a separate federal case
In 2023, Doc was convicted of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking after purchasing lion cubs from a since-closed roadside zoo in Virginia. Prosecutors said he bought the cubs to display them at his business in South Carolina.
Fast forward three years. The case was reviewed by Virginia’s Supreme Court, and according to court docs reviewed by TMZ, they ruled to dismiss all remaining convictions stemming from those baby lions. The court determined that what he did was never actually illegal
The law prosecutors originally cited prohibits people from selling endangered animals. Apparently, there was nothing on the books preventing someone from buying them. With that distinction established, all related charges were dismissed, and Doc wasted no time celebrating the news.
“Today the highest court in Virginia confirmed what I have said since the day these charges were filed: I broke no law. Not one,” he said in a statement.
Doc went on to call the ruling “total vindication,” but that’s a little bit of a stretch. The federal government would especially disagree, given the laundry list of other charges still attached to his career.
Separately from the lion cub case, Doc was convicted of running a multi-state animal trafficking and money laundering scheme. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, and last year, they sentenced him to a year in prison, ordered to pay over $200,000 in fines, and forced to forfeit some of the chimps he improperly obtained.
Tiger King is streaming on Netflix.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DOC’S CHARGES GETTING DROPPED? ARE YOU SURPRISED TO LEARN IT WASN’T ILLEGAL FOR HIM TO BUY AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL?
