'Joe Exotic' sues feds, appeals to President Trump for pardon
03/27/2020 2:25 pm PDT
OKLAHOMA (TCD) --
Joe Maldonado-Passage — better known as “Joe Exotic” from the popular Netflix “Tiger King” docuseries — has filed a lawsuit from jail against two federal agencies and assorted government officials, and is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump, the New York Post reported Thursday.
The filing names the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, as well as five individuals.
Maldonado-Passage reportedly announced the lawsuit and his appeal in a Facebook post last week. He's seeking $94 million from the agencies and individuals.
“Plaintiff is seeking the loss of personal property, 18 years of research and care of 200 generic tigers and cross-breeds for 365 days a year for 18 years at a boarding rate of $60.00 a day per animal for a total of $78,840,000.00 and an additional $15,000,000.00 for false arrest, false imprisonment, discrimination, malicious prosecution, selective enforcement, misinterpreting the law and the death of Shirley Schreibvogel.”Schreibvogel was Maldonado-Passage's mother.
Maldonado-Passage is serving 22 years in prison in a bizarre murder-for-hire plot. He's currently held in Grady County Jail in Oklahoma.
Prosecutors said Maldonado-Passage paid an undercover FBI agent $3,000 to travel from Oklahoma to Florida to murder a woman there and promised thousands more after the hit was done. The target, Carole Baskin, is a high-profile critic of “Joe Exotic's” Wynnewood, Oklahoma animal park and his treatment of animals there.
Maldonado-Passage was also indicted on 19 counts of wildlife charges, accused of violating the Endangered Species Act.
"I have been illegally charged with these crimes and the Trump Administration, the United States Department of Interior along witht [sic] the Federal Wildlife service must be held accountable for what they have done to me, my parents and my family, along with my animals. Thank you and please share," the post reads.
In a Facebook post this week, Maldonado-Passage reportedly writes:
"Now is the time Oklahoma residents and you to step up and call Governor Stitt and ask him to Fax this letter to President Trump and do the right thing and that is Pardon me or bond me out during my appeal for the sole reason this is injustice and a man who has done nothing but good for the people of Oklahoma was wrongfully convicted."
The New York Post reports Maldonado-Passage is representing himself in his lawsuit, and has filed it in a federal court in Oklahoma.
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