On June 3, the FBI arrested Tiger King villain and Myrtle Beach Safari operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who now faces federal charges for money laundering. Antle is also facing felony wildlife-trafficking charges as well as cruelty-to-animals charges in Virginia related to trafficking lion cubs.

#TigerKing's “Doc” Antle has been charged with 2 felony counts involving wildlife trafficking! He couldn’t put himself in the animals’ place, so he should be where he put them: behind bars.@USDA needs to end the special treatment & shut down his cruel wildlife-handling events.

— PETA (@peta) June 17, 2022

Following a detention hearing earlier this month in relation to Antle’s pending charges for money laundering, a judge reportedly set his bond at $250,000. When he is released on bond, Antle will reportedly be restricted to his Myrtle Beach property and he will be prohibited from violating state or federal law.

The federal government has stated in court testimony and a subsequent court filing that Antle is expected to face additional charges within the next 30 days.

Doc Antle’s Dirty Laundry

According to the criminal complaint, Antle was allegedly involved in money laundering along with his associate Andrew Sawyer. Antle and Sawyer supposedly believed that the money they were laundering was profit from an operation that smuggled South American immigrants into the U.S. illegally via Mexico. They allegedly laundered over $500,000 during a four-month period.

Antle allegedly used his roadside zoo, Myrtle Beach Safari, as part of the money laundering scheme—namely, as a front to “wash” these ill-gotten gains. In exchange for a percentage of the illegally obtained cash (i.e., a “washing” fee), he allegedly issued checks that were purportedly to cover construction costs around the facility, but no actual construction was performed.

The criminal complaint also notes that he allegedly once sought to launder cash in order to buy monkeys.

Antle has exploited animals for entertainment for nearly 40 years. Since early in his career, he’s been cited for various animal welfare violations.

Who Is Andrew Sawyer?

Antle’s associate Andrew Sawyer is a defendant in PETA’s federal Endangered Species Act case against the Missouri Primate Foundation (MPF), which has already resulted in the transfer of nine chimpanzees to accredited sanctuaries. Sawyer previously boarded a chimpanzee named Joey at the MPF, where he was held in isolation, but after PETA sent the required notice that we would be filing our claims, he took Joey in his car and fled.

PETA won summary judgment against Sawyer, and the court ordered him to transfer Joey to an accredited sanctuary. He is presently in contempt of the Missouri court’s order for failing to do so.

As a condition of Sawyer’s release on bond from the South Carolina jail that had been holding him since his arrest for the money laundering charges, he is required to transfer Joey to the sanctuary as soon as it has space available.

Help End the Reign of Terror

Nearly every animal exploiter featured in Tiger King is now in custody, out of business, or facing administrative citations or criminal charges. Help PETA make the abusive big cat cub-petting industry a thing of the past: Please urge Myrtle Beach Safari to end its cruel public encounters and send the animals to reputable facilities where they could live in peace and get the care that they deserve.