Former American zookeeper and Tiger King’s Joe Exotic has received a 21-year sentence.
On Friday, January 28, 2022, a federal judge resentenced, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, to 21 years in prison.
The judge reduced his punishment by just a year despite pleas from the former zookeeper for leniency as he begins treatment for cancer.
Why Joe Exotic was sentenced
In January 2020, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison after he was convicted of trying to hire two different men to kill his nemesis, Carole Baskin. Baskin runs a rescue sanctuary for big cats in Florida and had criticized Maldonado-Passage’s treatment of animals.
He was also sentenced for a crime against animals.
In May 2021, Federal authorities seized 68 big cats from an animal park in Oklahoma featured in Netflix’s Tiger King.
The U.S. Department of Justice seized federally protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids, and a jaguar as part of a court-approved agreement to resolve a DOJ complaint against Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe over the animals’ care.
How many years is Joe Exotic getting in prison?
His initial sentence was 22 years, however, only one year was reduced last Friday. Joe Exotic is officially getting 21 years in prison for his crime.
There was a chance the 22-year sentence would be reduced to 17 years, but that didn’t happen. Rather, a federal appeals court just shaved a year off the 22-year sentence.
