'Tiger King' Star Doc Antle Pleads Guilty To Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering for Human Traffickers

South Carolina zoo owner and "Tiger King" star Bhagavan "Doc" Antle has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges on Monday.

This comes three years after becoming famous thanks to the popular Netflix docuseries about "Tiger King" Joe Exotic, where Antle was introduced as one of the other wildlife enthusiasts running their own zoos and trading wildlife.

According to CBS News, the 63-year-old South Carolina resident pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and a conspiracy to launder money, with US District Judge Joseph Dawson III for the District of South Carolina accepting the guilty plea.

Judge Dawson stated that he would issue the sentence for Antle after receiving and reviewing the US Probation Office's sentencing report. The "Tiger King" star currently faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison with a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release for each count against him.

"The defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations," said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim. "This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals."

Prosecutors alleged that Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking of wildlife taken illegally. This includes species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act. He reportedly sold two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers, and one juvenile chimpanzee between 2018 and 2020, which is a violation of the Lacey Act.

PETA Releases Statement Regarding Tiger King Star Doc Antle Guilty Plea

Following the "Tiger King" star's guilty plea, activist group PETA released a statement against the man that the group had been crusading against for years.

"Felon 'Doc' Antle's days of locking up endangered animals and using them to make a quick buck are numbered, and PETA is calling on federal authorities to put the final nail in the coffin by terminating the licenses that keep his sleazy roadside zoo operating," said PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet.

The group detailed Antle's various animal abuses, from using and abusing animals to various animal rights violations, such as taking newborn lion cubs away from their mothers for guests at his zoo to interact with. When these cubs grow up, these cubs are usually dumped through nefarious means.

Doc Antle and Human Trafficking

Doc Antle is not just involved with wildlife animal trafficking but also human trafficking, as he has been connected to an operation smuggling migrants into the United States.

According to USA Today, Antle and a co-conspirator conducted financial transactions with cash that was reportedly obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens.

"To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and his co-conspirator would take the cash they received and deposit it into bank accounts they controlled," said government investigators. "They would then write a check to the individual that had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction."

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story | Official Trailer | Netflix