It looks like Joe Exotic won’t be the only Tiger King star doing prison time. Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who appeared in both Tiger King and The Doc Antle Story, has been sentenced to a year in prison for money laundering and federal wildlife trafficking.
Doc might have been a secondary character compared to the flashiness of the Tiger King, but the feds zeroed in on him. Now, he’s got to do time, pay significant fines, and give up some of his chimps.
Tiger King villain Doc Antle got a 12-month prison sentence
The United States Department of Justice dropped a one-year prison sentence on Doc earlier this week. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which is a federal law meant to combat wildlife trafficking. He also got busted trying to launder over $500,000. That money was part of an alleged operation to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina explained how the Tiger King star, along with his two co-defendants, created a complicated network of financial dealings to conceal the illegal activity.
“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,” the DA said.
In the court docs, investigators explained the various ways Doc laundered money through his non-profit organization, The Rare Species Fund. He’d have people offer “donations’ to the non-profit, and then turn around and sell them baby cheetahs, lions, and tigers.
Elsewhere in the indictment, investigators found that Doc and a co-defendant laundered over $500,000 to help illegally move immigrants across the border. He planned to move the cash through his highly criticized business, Myrtle Beach Safari.
In addition to the year-long prison sentence, Doc is being forced to pay a $55,000 fine, forfeit three chimpanzees, and fork over $197,000 to the government. He’ll also have to serve three years of supervised release. Let’s hope he learns his lesson.
Tiger King is streaming on Netflix.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK DOC RECEIVED A FAIR SENTENCE? DO YOU THINK HE WILL START SEEKING A PARDON LIKE JOE EXOTIC?
