‘Tiger King’ star Doc Antle pleads guilty to federal wildlife charges, money laundering

Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle pleaded guilty Monday to federal wildlife trafficking and money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The 63-year-old star of Netflix’s “Tiger King” pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Between September 2018 through May 2020, Antle is accused of directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and one juvenile chimpanzee — all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, according to a press release.

Antle used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state. Antle also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as “donations,” the release said.

The Sun News published an investigation in 2020 showing inconsistencies related to Antle’s nonprofit, The Rare Species Fund, which failed to disclose familial and business relationships among board members and used most of the money to care for its “animal ambassadors.”

The federal investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between February through April 2022, when Antle and a co-conspirator conducted financial transactions with cash believed to be obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens.

To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and his co-conspirator would take the cash they received and deposit it into bank accounts they controlled. They would then write a check to the individual that had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction, the release said.

For each count, Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

The guilty plea comes after Antle was handed a $10,000 fine and and five-year ban on working with, possessing, trading or interacting with wild animals for five years in Virginia after a June conviction on wildlife charges.

The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve that offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife.