This past Friday, January 28, 2022, a federal judge made the executive decision to resentence Tiger King star Joe Exotic to a total of 21 years behind bars; this sentence is just one year shy of his initially determined punishment back in 2019. With his official government name being Joseph Maldonado-Passage, the popular Netflix series star was accused of initiating a murder-for-hire scheme against his ‘co-star’ and American animal rights activist Carole Baskin. Baskin has been the CEO of the non-profit animal organization, Big Cat Rescue, since 1992 which Maldonado-Passage has threatened and attempted to metaphorically burn to the ground.
The ‘tiger king’ has been locked in federal prison since the commencement of 2022 and now faces the hard reality that he just might be in there for the remainder of his life. “Please do not make me die in prison waiting for a chance to be free,” the Kansas-born animal lover pleaded to his judge. According to his current attorney Amy Hanna, the punishment that was concluded for her 58-year-old client is a long-term “death sentence for Joe that he does not deserve.”
Despite anything Joe or his team might claim is false, the evidence speaks for itself. After the court was adjourned, federal attorney Molly Parmer released a public statement to select reporters outside of the courthouse. “The defense submitted a series of attachments that showed excessive government involvement in the creation of the offense for which he has been convicted,” she announced. Clearly not being enough to set him free, Parmer went on to conclude her statement with a sentence filled with hope: “We are going to continue our post-conviction litigation, but we did a preview for the court the evidence we have through our post-conviction investigation.” Even though the future looks bleak for Joe Exotic his team publicized that they will consistently fight for his freedom on the outside while continuing to petition for a new trial.