Star of the “Tiger King” Bhagavan “Doc” Antle Accused of laundering more than half a million dollars, federal prosecutors said Monday they believe they were earned by a smuggling operation across the Mexican border toward United States. .
The charges against Antley and Andrew John Sawyer, one of Myrtle Beach Safari’s employees, Antlie and Andrew John Sawyer, were announced at a federal court hearing in Florence, South Carolina.
Federal prosecutors say Antl and Sawyer laundered $ 505,000 in four months by making checks from companies they controlled and received a 15% commission on the money they held.
Prosecutors said the checks were mistakenly believed to be a payment for construction work on the Myrtle Beach Safari, but were actually intended to prove that the beneficiaries had legitimate income.
In the case filed in court on Monday, Antel reviewed his plan to seize the money he received by increasing the number of tourists to his 50-acre (20-acre) tropical wildlife reserve. Prosecutors also said he had previously used cash receipts to buy animals that he could not use the checks for.
Horry County Jail Show logs Antley and Sawyer were both arrested Friday. Lawyers for both men did not immediately comment on the allegations when they received the email.
Authorities say Antl and Sawyer face up to 20 years in prison each if convicted.
Antle is featured in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries focusing on tiger breeders and private zoo operators in the United States. The series centers on Oklahoma zoo operator Joe Exotic, who also targets animals. Abused and convicted for plotting to kill a rival Carol Baskin.
Animal rights activists have accused Antl of mistreating lions and other wildlife. In 2020 he was charged with animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in Virginia.
In May, animal welfare people asked the IRS to investigate the Antalya Rare Species Fund, a non-profit organization that raised money for wildlife conservation. PETA said it is using money from the fund to subsidize its Safari site in Socastee, just outside Myrtle Beach.
“Doc Antley deserves to be behind bars after years of confinement to the endangered animals he uses in dry photography operations. “His legal problems are growing as PETA recently cracked down on its apparent“ charity ”fraud and the end of its reign, which scares tiger cubs, is not coming anytime soon,” he said. Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETA Captive Animal. Law Enforcement. Section, in the declaration.
In Virginia, meanwhile, Antel faces two counts for wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, as well as 13 counts of extinction of endangered species and allegations of animal cruelty related to lion trafficking. The trial against these cases is scheduled for next month.
Antl has a history of violations since 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peacock at the Virginia Zoo. Over the years, he has had more than 35 USDA violations for animal cruelty.
Source: Huffpost
