'Tiger King' zoo owner Doc Antle has plead guilty to money laundering and animal trafficking the U.S. Justice Department announced.
King Richard's Faire is set to open for the season. Dr. Bhagavan Antle brings animals from his preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He is with Hercules the Liger. Hercules is 900 pounds and is in the Guinness Book of World Records as world's largest cat., has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trafficking of illegally obtained wildlife, including those protected through the Endangered Species Act. The U.S.
“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 shared in a press release. “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals.
Between September 2018 and May 2020, the report states, Antle directed the sale or purchase of seven animals protected under the Endangered Species Act, including two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers, and one chimpanzee. He also hid transactions using bulk cash payments and forged paperwork in addition to directing payments toward his nonprofit organization, Rare Species Fund, which is also registered in South Carolina. This allowed him to classify the payments as donations.
“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.
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