Featured Image Credit: Netflix. Sipa US/ Alamy Stock Photo.
Topics: Tiger King, US News, Crime, News, Joe Biden, Joe Exotic
Rachel Lang
Topics: Tiger King, US News, Crime, News, Joe Biden, Joe Exotic
Joe Exotic has called on US President Joe Biden to release him from prison with a very bizarre line of reasoning.
Exotic - whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage - was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin.
Both were featured in the hit Netflix series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness.
Prosecutors say he tried to hire two people - including an undercover FBI agent - to kill Baskin, who had criticised his treatment of animals.
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Exotic was resentenced to 21 years in the wake of a federal appeal court decision in 2021 that improper sentencing guidelines were initially used.
Now, Exotic is calling on the US President to arrange his release in the wake of the prisoner swap between America and Russia for WNBL player Brittney Griner.
TMZ obtained audio from prison of Exotic slamming the exchange that saw the champion female basketballer swapped for a deadly arms dealer.
"A dangerous man was released for Brittney Griner to be free," Exotic said in the audio tape.
"The whole Brittney Griner and Trevor Reed prisoner swap is a slap in every American's face that is wrongfully detained in the American Federal Prison, including myself."
Reed was detained in a Russian prison in 2019 after he endangered the 'life and health' of Russian police officers, CNN reports.
Reed was returned to American shores in April following a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko.
Despite both cases featuring US citizens jailed on Russian soil, Exotic called on Biden to make a special case for him, too.
"It's time Joe Exotic gets to go home for Christmas to be home with [boyfriend] Seth and his son for the first time in five Christmases," the Tiger King said from behind bars, while referring to himself in the third person for some reason.
"Carol Baskin got her Big Cat Safety Act passed, now called the 'Tiger King' bill. Your tiger law has passed. I’m never owning animals again, this is all this was about."
Exotic added: "The evidence that I’m innocent is there."
The former Florida zoo owner called on Biden to keep the conviction if he can't be pardoned, but begged for the President to give him time served instead.
"Let me have my life back. You know this is wrong. Show America you stand for truth and justice before Christmas," Exotic said, addressing Biden directly.
"Please allow me to go home."