CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW)-- Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan "Doc" Antle pleaded guilty Monday early morning to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Antle, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to break the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder cash, the DOJ stated in a press release. The Lacey Act forbids trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, consisting of animals secured under the Endangered Species Act.
Antle, the former ‘‘ Tiger King' star, faces an optimum charge of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and 3 years of monitored release for each count. South Carolina U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Dawson III accepted Antle's guilty plea and will sentence him after evaluating a sentencing and getting report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
It's not the very first conviction for Antle. In June, he was condemned in Virginia of 2 felony counts of wildlife trafficking and 2 felony counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife. Authorities said he illegally purchased endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, that were later placed on display in Myrtle Beach.
The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical protect that offers trips and private encounters with exotic wildlife. Antle is likewise the director of the Rare Species Fund, a not-for-profit company registered in South Carolina.
According to the DOJ, Antle 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, 2 tigers, and a juvenile chimpanzee - - all of which are secured under the Endangered Species Act.
Antle used bulk cash payments to conceal the deals and falsified paperwork to reveal non-commercial transfers entirely within one state, investigators discovered. Antle also asked for that payments for threatened species be made to his nonprofit so they could look like "donations," the DOJ said.
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The examination also uncovered proof of money laundering between February and April 2022, when Antle and a coconspirator conducted monetary deals with cash that they thought was gotten from transporting and harboring immigrants who illegally went into the country. To hide the nature of the prohibited cash, Antle and a co-conspirator took the cash they received and deposited it into accounts they controlled, investigators said, before writing a check to the individual who had actually supplied the cash, minus a 15% cost per transaction.
" The accused held himself out as a conservationist, yet consistently broken laws safeguarding threatened animals and after that tried to cover up those infractions," said Todd Kim, assistant chief law officer Todd Kim of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to fighting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of threatened animals."
Antle pleaded guilty in July 2022 to 3 wildlife trafficking charges.
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