Tiger King, Joe Exotic denied release, responsible for up to 21 years

A federal judge in Oklahoma hit “Tiger King” star Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, to 21 years in prison on Friday, denying his appeal for early release before he started treatment cancer.

“Please don’t make me die in prison while waiting for my chance to be free,” Maldonado-Passage, 58, told the judge, who was given a one-year reduction in his initial sentence.

In January 2020, Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of attempting to hire two men to kill animal activist Carole Baskin. Both were featured in Netflix’s hit pandemic streaming series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness”.

Based on Related press, the courthouse was packed with supporters wearing animal-print masks and T-shirts that read “Free Joe Exotic.” His lawyers said they would appeal the new conviction and ask the court for a new trial. Maldonado-Passage has consistently maintained his innocence in the case.

Baskin and her husband were also in court, and she told the AP she is still afraid of her opponent. “He continued to harbor intense feelings of malice toward me,” she said.

Maldonado-Passage was also found guilty of killing five tigers, illegally trading in tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records.

In a statement shared with TheWrap about the revised verdict, Capturing Animal Law Enforcement’s PETA Deputy General Counsel Brittany Peet, who also appeared in “Tiger King,” called Maldonado-Passage a “wildlife pimp” and called on the authorities to also charge his associates.

“This ruling confirms that ‘Joe Exotic,’ a wretched man whose name is synonymous with animal exploitation, will spend most, if not whole, of his life in prison. PETA has rescued nearly 40 animals from this wild animal pimp and is calling on federal officials to accuse his remaining former associates of animal abuse, who, unlike the cats The big guy they abused, deserves to be behind bars just like him,” writes Peet.

“Tiger King 2” premieres on Netflix in November. Baskin currently stars in her own series, “Carole Baskin’s Cage Fight” on Discovery+.

Peacock’s limited series “Joe Exotic” with John Cameron Mitchell as the title character and Kate McKinnon as Baskin premieres March 3.