When did Joe Exotic go to prison and how long is his sentence?

2 April 2020, 15:42 | Updated: 2 April 2020, 15:50

Tiger King- Murder, Mayhem and Madness | Official Trailer

When was Joe Exotic sent to prison and is he still in jail now? Everything you need to know...

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has taken Netflix by storm.

The true crime seven-episode series follows Joe Exotic - a wildcat enthusiast who ran a makeshift zoo featuring hundreds of exotic animals, most notably tigers, which he bred onsite.

Directed by Eric Goode, it focuses on Joe’s rivalry with animal rights activist Carole Baskin, with both hellbent on taking each other down.

The rivalry takes a sinister turn when Joe ends up being arrested for plotting to murder Carole.

But how long has Joe been behind bars and how long is his sentence? Find out everything…

Joe Exotic is still in jail now. Picture: Netlfix

When did Joe Exotic go to prison and how long is his sentence?

Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage) is currently in jail after being convicted in April 2019 of 17 charges of animal abuse and two counts of murder for hire.

In the final episodes of the Netlfix show, Joe Exotic’s long-running anger at Carole Baskin ends in a plot to allegedly inflict violence against her.

At the time he was still being held in Grady County Jail. However, on January 22, 2020 he was sentenced to 22 years in prison and was moved to FMC Fort Worth prison.

Joe Exotic was found guilty of two counts of murder-for-hire. Picture: Netflix

Joe has continued to maintain his innocence and appealed to a higher court.

He has also filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $94 million in damages against the Department of the Interior, a prosecutor and others.

In the suit, filed March 17, he says the case against him included false and perjured testimony, and that he was the victim of discrimination as “an openly gay male with the largest collection of generic tigers and crossbreeds.”

What was Joe Exotic convicted of?

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma, Joe Exotic was found guilty of two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

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