‘Tiger King’ Star Doc Antle Remains Jailed After Arrest On Charges Related To Money Laundering

Topline

Tiger King star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle remained in custody in a South Carolina jail Saturday, one day after the FBI arrested the controversial animal handler on charges related to money laundering, a source close to the investigation told Forbes.

Doc Antle is pictured after he was booked in Horry County on June 3, 2022. (Photo from Horry County … [+] Sheriff’s Office)

HORRY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Key Facts

Antle, 62, was booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway, South Carolina, on Friday, according to the Horry County Sheriff’s Office.

The Horry County Sheriff’s Office did not list the charges Antle was being held on, but a source close to the investigation told Forbes the charges are related to money laundering.

The source close to the investigation told Forbes more information about the charges will be provided at a hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Antle runs a controversial safari outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Key Background

After Tiger King, Antle became the subject of a separate Netflix true-crime documentary, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, which delved into the accusations from former employees that Antle used the zoo to create a cult-like atmosphere. Former employees alleged in the series Antle required his mostly female employees to be single, childless, vegetarian and to wear certain types of clothing. Two of the women Antle has been married to accused him of having sexual relations with them while they were underage. Antle has denied the claims and slammed the Netflix series, saying in a statement after the series was released, “Netflix is at it again with their tabloid style fiction based docufantasy.”

What To Watch For

Antle is scheduled to go to trial next month in Virginia in a separate case where he is facing two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife charges, and 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to the alleged trafficking of lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina.

Big Number

35. That’s how many violations Antle has received for mistreating animals from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Tangent

Antle became famous following the success of the Netflix series Tiger King, which primarily featured Joe Exotic, a fellow big cat enthusiast. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 21-year prison sentence after he was convicted in Oklahoma of abusing animals and unsuccessfully plotting to kill an animal welfare activist—another Tiger King personality, Carole Baskin.