Joe Exotic has gotten pretty famous over the last few years owing to some awkward reasons. He has had quite a happening life which has now entered into a very deplorable phase. Joe Exotic was the owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, which is quite a bucket list item for people who love animals. There is no denying the fact that Joe worked hard in extending this zoo and made it one of the best recreational places in Wynnewood.
Despite being so successful early in his life, the latter part of Joe’s life is embroiled in extensive legal drama. Currently, he is behind the bars for various reasons.
8 How Joe Exotic's Career Began
Joe Exotic, born Joseph Allen Maldonado, came up with the idea of having his animal park after the death of his brother Garold. Despite coming from a not well-off family, Joe was still able to create such a massive asset for himself by using the settlement amount he got from his brother's death. Garold was met with an accident that led to his demise and the company that caused his death had to pay against the loss.
Joe used this money in the right manner and was really wise in planning a great future for himself. But all went down the drain, as he is behind the bars and all this wealth is of no use to him.
Joe paid respect to his brother by naming this zoo the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park. However, later, he modified this name a little and converted it into the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park. As a matter of fact, initially, this was more of a horse ranch and later on got converted into an extensive zoo.
7 Joe Exotic's Life Before Becoming A Zookeeper
It's important to mention here that Joe Exotic was not always a zookeeper. Before he got the money against the settlement of his brother's death, he was a security guard in a bar and also worked as a police Chief in Texas for some time.
Later on, it was one of his neighbors in Florida who introduced Joe Exotic to the world of exotic animals. From here onwards, he always just found success with animals.
6 What Are Joe Exotic's Crimes?
At the start of 2020, Joe Exotic was sentenced to around 22 years for two crimes that were proven against him in court. Out of them, one was two counts of hiring someone to kill Carole Baskin, in addition to eight counts of violating the Lacey Act by falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act by killing five tigers and selling tigers across state lines, according CNN.
5 Joe Exotic's Resentence Didn't Do Him Any Good
After committing all these heinous crimes, Joe Exotic still dared to seek pardon from the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump.
He was later resentenced in court by a federal judge and his punishment was reduced by one year. The reason behind this reduction in prison time was the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer.
Also known as the Tiger King, Joe Exotic cried for mercy in the Federal Court. He asked for help and forgiveness by saying that he didn't want to die in prison.
4 The Tiger King's History Of Lawsuits
Joe Exotic found himself in trouble when an animal welfare activist Carole Baskin filed a lawsuit against him. This was also depicted in Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.
Carol sued Joe for $1 million in 2011, when she found him infringing the trademark of the Big Cat Rescue. The legal battle with Carole Baskin alone led to a loss of a massive amount of around $750,000, leading the bank to force Tiger King to showcase his bankruptcy.
Another significant lawsuit that Joe was a part of was worth $94 million, which he had filed against the Fish and Wildlife Service of the United States of America. Alongside this, he also involved the Department of Interior of the United States for not taking up the case well.
According to Joe, the government was wrong in including the generic tiger in the list of endangered species as this was not the case. He further added that the reason he was being discriminated against by the government and is on the hit list because of being a gay male who is so successful in the world of wild animal maintenance trade.
Apparently, this mishandled case caused him a lot of loss in terms of money and reputation, he filed a lawsuit against the government and claimed reparations.
3 Carole Baskin Still Being Threatened
Carole Baskin was a prominent part of all the proceedings against Joe Exotic. However, she appeared quite fearful and said that she was still being threatened by Joe. She claimed that despite the fact Joe had been in the prison, she and her husband still keep getting threats, abuse, and vile statements hurled against them.
According to her, this has been a continuous practice for the last two years, and now she feels extremely insecure.
Carol also stated that owing to the popularity that Joe gained from the Netflix series, he now has a huge support group, which is why she feels even more intimidated.
2 Joe Exotic Battle With Cancer
Joe Exotic’s attorney submitted reports to the judge proving that he was suffering from prostate cancer, which was in its initial stages. On top of that, as this health issue affects the immune system the most, the attorney claimed that his client was extremely vulnerable in the presence of the COVID-19 wave.
Though cancer has not spread yet and has been detected at a very early stage, a delay in the treatment can affect Joe badly. There is a need for continuous radiation treatment for eight weeks, and in the absence of this treatment, imprisonment can turn into a death sentence.
1 Joe Exotic's Net Worth Now
The net worth of Joe Exotic is an eye-opener for all those who think that the salary of a zookeeper won't be much. According to the stats, Joe Exotic's net worth was somewhere around $10 million to $15 million.
Though it's still not clear whether he was paid for the Netflix documentary Tiger King or not. However, sources say that Netflix doesn't pay even a single penny to the subjects and there are very rare chances of Joe earning anything from this documentary. However, since being convicted of his crimes and receiving his prison sentencing and losing his zoo, Joe Exotic's net worth has taken quite the hit. He has not only filed for bankruptcy but is also reportedly under a lot of debt. Joe Exotic's net worth is believed to be negative $1 million.
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