Nobody even watched the sequel, but the cast of big cat-loving characters introduced by the early pandemic Netflix phenomenon Tiger King are continuing to make headlines for toeing the line of nefariousness. This time, controversial animal wrangler (and all-around creep) Bhagavan "Doc" Antle has been arrested by the FBI on allegations of money laundering, as reported by the Associated Press.
The Myrtle Beach Safari owner was apprehended by federal agents on Friday (June 3) in Horry County, SC. According to jail records, he was still being held in custody at the Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, SC, as of June 5. The charges are expected to be formally announced in a court proceeding today in Florence, SC.
UPDATE (6/6 4:08 p.m. ET): Antle's indictment was unsealed to reveal two money laundering counts, accusing him of having laundered upwards of $500,000 USD, in cahoots with business partner Andrew Sawyer. Court documents obtained by TMZ allege that Antle and Sawyer had started soliciting money from people as early as 2019 through a cheque-writing scheme with a 15 percent washing fee. The FBI reportedly had two undercover informants working the case, who claim to have gathered lots of incriminating evidence against both men.
Antle was previously indicted in Virginia in 2020 on felony charges related to wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty. Those charges — two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife trafficking, in addition to 13 misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs — are scheduled to go to trial next month.
He has long been a target of animal rights advocates, with a history of over 35 US Department of Agriculture violations for animal mistreatment going back as far as a fine issued in 1989 for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. In May of this year, PETA urged the IRS to investigate Antle's nonprofit Rare Species Fund, alleging that he was dipping into the fund to subsidize his for-profit safari.
"It's fitting that 'Doc' Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops," Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETA's Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, said in a statement. "His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent 'charity' scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can't come soon enough."
Last year, Antle got his own spin-off series with Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.
The series' infamous Joe Exotic was resentenced to 21 years in prison for his plot to murder Carole Baskin earlier this year, after Baskin's surprisingly alive ex-husband was found in Costa Rica by Homeland Security.
The Myrtle Beach Safari owner was apprehended by federal agents on Friday (June 3) in Horry County, SC. According to jail records, he was still being held in custody at the Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, SC, as of June 5. The charges are expected to be formally announced in a court proceeding today in Florence, SC.
UPDATE (6/6 4:08 p.m. ET): Antle's indictment was unsealed to reveal two money laundering counts, accusing him of having laundered upwards of $500,000 USD, in cahoots with business partner Andrew Sawyer. Court documents obtained by TMZ allege that Antle and Sawyer had started soliciting money from people as early as 2019 through a cheque-writing scheme with a 15 percent washing fee. The FBI reportedly had two undercover informants working the case, who claim to have gathered lots of incriminating evidence against both men.
Antle was previously indicted in Virginia in 2020 on felony charges related to wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty. Those charges — two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife trafficking, in addition to 13 misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs — are scheduled to go to trial next month.
He has long been a target of animal rights advocates, with a history of over 35 US Department of Agriculture violations for animal mistreatment going back as far as a fine issued in 1989 for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Virginia. In May of this year, PETA urged the IRS to investigate Antle's nonprofit Rare Species Fund, alleging that he was dipping into the fund to subsidize his for-profit safari.
"It's fitting that 'Doc' Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops," Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETA's Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, said in a statement. "His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent 'charity' scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can't come soon enough."
Last year, Antle got his own spin-off series with Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.
The series' infamous Joe Exotic was resentenced to 21 years in prison for his plot to murder Carole Baskin earlier this year, after Baskin's surprisingly alive ex-husband was found in Costa Rica by Homeland Security.
