Current:Home > Scams"Tiger King" star Doc Antle pleads guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charge-InfoLens
"Tiger King" star Doc Antle pleads guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charge
View Date:2024-12-23 12:06:36
A wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series "Tiger King" has pleaded guilty to federal wildlife trafficking charges, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Bhagavan "Doc" Antle pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and a conspiracy to launder money, federal prosecutors said in a news release.
Antle, 63, is the owner and operator of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. He also heads the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.
He rose to national prominence as one of the characters featured in "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries about tiger breeders in Florida and Oklahoma.
According to prosecutors, Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act — which prohibits the trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act — by directing the sale of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and one juvenile chimpanzee between Sept. 2018 and May 2020.
"Antle used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state," prosecutors said. "Antle also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as 'donations.'"
Investigators also said Antle and a co-conspirator laundered money between Feb. and April 2022 after discovering evidence of cash transactions believed to be obtained from "transporting and harboring illegal aliens."
"To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and his coconspirator would take the cash they received and deposit it into bank accounts they controlled," prosecutors said. "They would then write a check to the individual that had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction."
Prosecutors said Antle took advantage of his position as a conservationist.
For each count, Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release, according to prosecutors. He is set to be sentenced after a judge reviews a report prepared by the Probation Office, prosecutors said.
- In:
- Illegal Wildlife Trafficking
veryGood! (27686)
Related
- The state that cleared the way for sports gambling now may ban ‘prop’ bets on college athletes
- Get a $31 Deal on $78 Worth of Tarte Waterproof Eye Makeup
- Authorities are urging indoor masking in major cities as the 'tripledemic' rages
- Prince Harry Receives Apology From Tabloid Publisher Amid Hacking Trial
- Dogecoin soars after Trump's Elon Musk announcement: What to know about the cryptocurrency
- Natalee Holloway Disappearance Case: Suspect Joran van der Sloot to Be Extradited to the U.S.
- With one dose, new drug may cure sleeping sickness. Could it also wipe it out?
- Thousands of Jobs Riding on Extension of Clean Energy Cash Grant Program
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 12? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- 'Sunny Makes Money': India installs a record volume of solar power in 2022
Ranking
- California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
- Today’s Climate: August 27, 2010
- Jena Antonucci becomes first female trainer to win Belmont Stakes after Arcangelo finishes first
- Mother’s Day Last-Minute Gifts: Coach, Sephora, Nordstrom & More With Buy Now, Pick Up In Store
- 'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
- Today’s Climate: August 23, 2010
- Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause Marries Singer G Flip After a Year of Dating
- Today’s Climate: August 20, 2010
Recommendation
-
Skai Jackson announces pregnancy with first child: 'My heart is so full!'
-
When COVID closed India, these women opened their hearts — and wallets
-
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kathy Hilton Shares Hunky Dory Mother’s Day Gifts Starting at $5
-
Summer Nights Are Getting Hotter. Here’s Why That’s a Health and Wildfire Risk.
-
It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
-
China to drop travel tracing as it relaxes 'zero-COVID'
-
Diamond diggers in South Africa's deserted mines break the law — and risk their lives
-
Yet Another Biofuel Hopeful Goes Public, Bets on Isobutanol