Bhagavan “Doc” Antle. (Mugshot: J. Reuben Long Detention Center)
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, 63, one of the many controversial zookeepers profiled in the Netflix docuseries “Tiger King,” was convicted Tuesday of illegally selling lion cubs. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Frederick County, Virginia.
“Antle was accused of illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Frederick County for display and profit at his zoo business in South Carolina,” authorities wrote.
He was indicted in the wildlife trafficking case in 2020. Jurors convicted him on Friday of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic. Charges of animal cruelty ended in acquittal, online records show.
Antle faces a maximum of 20 years in prison — each of the four charges he was convicted of carries a five-year maximum sentence.
“Virginia’s animal cruelty laws are not taken lightly by my office,” Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares said in a statement published Tuesday. “I’m proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work and I’m thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”
A federal money laundering case against Antle in South Carolina is ongoing. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted in that case.
Antle was among the many controversial, eccentric figures who appeared on “Tiger King.” The show focused first and foremost on the deadly rivalry between Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic) and Carole Baskin, with Maldonado-Passage convicted for putting out a hit on Baskin.
During the “Tiger King” documentary, others described Antle as having many “girlfriends” or “wives” or “partners.” In a follow-up season, women said he sexually abused them when they were 14 or 15. He also allegedly physically abused women. Antle publicly denied these claims, including one about him forging the signature of a 15-year-old girl’s father in order to marry her. He denied these allegations to WBTW in 2021, though he admitted to marrying that 15-year-old with permission from the girl’s parents. This union was a mistake, and they divorced after six months, he reportedly said.
More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Tiger King’ zookeeper who had ‘falling out’ with ‘good friend’ Jeff Lowe found ‘personally liable’ for ‘unlawful’ acts
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