Doc Antle.Photo: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe/Getty
ZookeeperBhagavan “Doc“ Antle, who was featured in Netflix’sTiger Kingdocuseries, was found guilty of buying endangered lion cubs.
Prosecutors said that Antle purchased the cubs from a now-closed roadside zoo in Frederick County so he could have them on display at his Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina.
In 2019, the attorney general’s animal law unit began its months-long investigation into Antle’s zoo, as well as Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Winchester, Va.
Antle was indicted the following year after investigators discovered that he and the owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park, Keith Wilson, had trafficked the lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina.
Wilson testified against Antle and admitted his role in the scheme. According to the Page News and Courier, Wilson is charged with nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and 10 felony counts of selling an endangered species. He is expected to plead guilty on Friday, the outlet reports.
Doc Antle.Horry County Police Department
Antle came under scrutiny again in June 2022, when the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolinacharged him with money laundering.
Prosecutors have alleged that he laundered $505,000 in cash with his business associate.
Prosecutors said in a press release that the money was believed to be “the proceeds of an operation to smuggle” undocumented immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Post and Courierreports Antle is currently out on bond on the money laundering charges.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Antle first became well-known when he was featured in Netflix’s hit docuseriesTiger King. At the time, the zoo owner slammed the series as “salacious.”
Later, he participated inTiger Kingdom: More Than a King, which he hoped would paint a different picture about himself and his animal park.
Antle is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 14
source: people.com
