“Tiger King” star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, 63, plead guilty today in U.S. District Court to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and a conspiracy to launder money.
The Lacey Act, enacted in 1900 in the United States, prohibits trade in wildlife, fish and plants protected under the Endangered Species Act that were illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold.
The Myrtle Beach, S.C. native owns and operates The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. The 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife.
Antle is also the Director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.
He conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and one juvenile chimpanzee. He hid the transactions and falsified paperwork with bulk cash transactions 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 defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD), said. “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals.”
The federal charges are in addition to Antle’s October 2023 sentencing in Frederick County, Virginia on two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic. The Frederick County sentencing of two years with time suspended for each charge, to run concurrently came after a conviction of legally purchasing endangered lion cubs for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo.
Antle was also required to pay the maximum fee of $2,500 per conviction, totaling a $10,000 fine, and is banned from dealing exotic animals. He is not allowed to work, own, possess, broker, buy, sell, trade, transfer, barter or donate any exotic animals for five years in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The federal investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between February and April 2022, when Antle and a coconspirator conducted financial transactions with cash they believed was obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens. Antle and his coconspirator would take the cash they received and deposit it into bank accounts they controlled. Then, they would write a check to the individual that had provided the cash after taking a 15 percent fee per transaction.
“The defendant’s guilty plea is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the FBI and our law enforcement partners in combating illegal financial activities,” Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office said. “The FBI remains committed to upholding the integrity of our financial systems and ensuring justice is served.”
Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison per felony, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Joseph Dawson III for the District of South Carolina accepted Antle’s guilty plea, and will sentence Antle after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
“Wildlife crime is often connected with other criminal activity, including money-laundering,” said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “This investigation revealed a pattern of illicit wildlife transactions orchestrated by the defendant under the guise of donations and false paperwork. The Service and our partners will continue to hold accountable those involved in wildlife trafficking and other related crimes to ensure the future of all federally protected species. The Service will continue to bring to justice individuals who profit from the illegal trafficking of big cats and endangered species.”
The FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the case.
“This plea is the product of exemplary collaboration between our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “I commend our team for their work on this case who worked countless hours to unravel Antle’s sophisticated web of financial crimes and interstate wildlife trafficking. Our office remains committed to protecting endangered animals from those who would exploit them for profit.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
