Tiger King Star Doc Antle Pleads Guilty to Wildlife Trafficking Charges

The Tiger King star also plea guilty to money laundering charges on Monday.

By Nicole Drum

Tiger King star Bhagavan "Doc" Antle has plead guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charges. On Monday, the Department of Justice announced that Antle, who appeared in the 2020 Netflix documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, had pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act as well as a conspiracy to launder money (via ET).  Antle, 63, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised released per count. Antle is expected to be sentenced after a judge reviews a report prepared by the probation office.

"The defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations," Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) shared in a press release. "This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals."

According to federal prosecutors, Antle, who is the owner and operator of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), aka the Myrtle Beach Safari and the head of the Rare Species Fund, conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of seven animals protected by the Endangered Species Act: two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers, and one chimpanzee. Antle also concealed transactions with bulk cash payments and forged paperwork and directed payments towards the Rare Species Fund to classify the payments as donations. Investigators also alleged that Antle engaged in money laundering between February and April 2022 with cash believed to have come from "transporting and harboring illegal aliens".

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"Wildlife crime is often connected with other criminal activity, including money-laundering," said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. "This investigation revealed a pattern of illicit wildlife transactions orchestrated by the defendant under the guise of donations and false paperwork. The Service and our partners will continue to hold accountable those involved in wildlife trafficking and other related crimes to ensure the future of all federally protected species. The Service will continue to bring to justice individuals who profit from the illegal trafficking of big cats and endangered species."

Antle rose to prominence when he was featured in Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness and was later featured in a follow-up documentary, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, released in December 2021. Here's how Netflix described Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, which hit last December: "A lifelong showman, Doc Antle has built his various careers on theatrics, attracting a slew of admirers along the way. But beneath the eccentric, animal-loving facade lies a predator far more dangerous than his beloved big cats and a man shadier than any of his 'Tiger King' counterparts. Over three episodes, 'Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story' unpacks the truth about Doc, as witnesses come forward to share their troubling stories of abuse and intimidation that set him at the top of the food chain."

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