What did Doc Antle do? Tiger King actor faces wildlife trafficking charges in Virginia

Bhagavan Antle, popularly known as "Doc Antle" was prominently featured in Netflix's documentary miniseries“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness." On Friday, June 16, Antle was convicted by a Virginia court for four wildlife trafficking-related felonies. Antle, the subject of Netflix's Tiger King spin-off, "Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story," was accused of the illegal purchase of endangered lion cubs.

Bhagavan Mahamayavi Antle, born Kevin Antle, who planned to display the cubs in his South Carolina Zoo, was convicted of two counts of wildlife trafficking and two counts of conspiring to traffic wildlife. He was indicted on these charges in October 2020. Bhagavan Antle was arrested last year on June 3, 2022, by the FBI on federal money laundering charges.

According to an official statement from Jason S. Miyares, the attorney general of Virginia, Antle was accused of illegally purchasing endangered lion clubs in Frederick County for display and profit. The investigation, which began in 2019, was led by the Office of the Attorney General's Animal Law Unit. The prosecution was the end result of a week-long trial.

Attorney General Miyares stressed Virginia's low tolerance for wildlife trafficking. He said:

“Virginia’s animal cruelty laws are not taken lightly by my office. I’m proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work, and I’m thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”

The statement ended by thanking the crucial partners involved in the investigation, including but not limited to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Virginia State Police, and Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office. Doc Antle's sentencing is scheduled for September 14, 2023.

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Doc Antle was accused of smuggling illegal immigrants

On June 30, 2022, the United States Department of Justice put out a statement, detailing Doc Antle's indictment and his accomplices' indictments for federal wildlife trafficking and money laundering. The indictment alleged that Antle, who owns Myrtle Beach Safari, along with a few accomplices:

"illegally trafficked wildlife in violation of federal law, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, and made false records regarding that wildlife."

The alleged animals trafficked included lemurs, cheetahs, and chimpanzees.

The indictment, along with a previously filed federal complaint, alleged that Bhagavan Antle, along with his accomplice Andrew Jon Sawyer, laundered $500,000. This money was allegedly received from smuggling illegal immigrants across the border.

The statement read:

"Antle and Sawyer laundered more than $500,000 in cash they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States."

The indictment also alleged that Doc Antle used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks. Antle allegedly planned to conceal the excess cash by inflating Myrtle Beach Safari tourist numbers.

Doc Antle faced a maximum of 20 years for money laundering-related charges and five years for wildlife trafficking-related charges. The case was investigated by the FBI, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Doc Antle has a history of accusations relating to the mistreatment of animals. In fact, Doc has over 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals. Along with animal trafficking, Antle's 2020 indictment also accused him of animal cruelty.