‘Tiger King’ asks Trump to pardon him from 22-year prison sentence

The Oklahoma man featured in the Netflix documentary miniseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has officially asked to be freed from his 22-year prison sentence in a murder-for-hire plot, in addition to federal wildlife violations.

Lawyers for former zookeeper Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as “Joe Exotic,” filed the application Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying his poor health likely means he’ll die in prison.

In the 257-page document, the famously foul-mouthed “Joe Exotic” says he was “railroaded and betrayed” by others and requests the pardon “to correct the injustices he has experienced and to have the opportunity to return to providing meaningful contributions to his community.”

The application includes a handwritten letter addressed to President Donald Trump, the Los Angeles Times reported. In that missive, Maldonado-Passage pleads: “Be my hero please.”

“If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you,” he continued. “Not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what you beleive [sic] no matter what anyone thinks.”

A Department of Justice spokeswoman told The Associated Press it would be premature to comment.

NEWS

Before he was Joe Exotic, ‘Tiger King’ star owned Arlington pet stores

BY TOM STEELE

Maldonado-Passage was convicted in 2019 of trying to arrange the killing of Carole Baskin, rival founder of an animal sanctuary in Florida. Baskin, who had criticized Maldonado-Passage’s treatment of animals, was ultimately unharmed.

He was also found guilty of killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records and is currently housed at the Fort Worth FMC, a federal prison medical center.

Baskin, meanwhile, is set to compete next week on the show Dancing With The Stars.