'Tiger King' star Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, formally requested a pardon, including a handwritten letter to President Trump.
The former Oklahoma zookeeper, who rose to fame as the subject of the hit Netflix docu-series, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his longtime rival, Big Cat Rescue CEOOn Tuesday, Maldonado-Passage, 57, filed an application with the U.S. Department of Justice, in which his attorneys state that the former zookeeper maintains his innocence and was “railroaded and betrayed” by others, according to the Associated Press.
“Joseph is scheduled to be released from custody in 2037; however, with his (compromised health, he will likely die in prison,” attorneys wrote in the 257-page application. “He humbly requests a pardon to correct the injustices he has experienced and to have the opportunity to return to providing meaningful contributions to his community.”
The AP reports the application also includes several character affidavits, letters of support, various trial documents and, according toIn the letter, which was published in full by CBS News, Maldonado-Passage says that he voted for Trump in 2016 and asks the president to"grant me a miracle" in the form of a pardon.
"If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you," Maldonado-Passage writes."Not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what you believe no matter what anyone thinks." A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice told the AP it would be premature to comment on the application.
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