New sentencing set for S.C. zookeeper from ‘Tiger King’
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – A new sentencing date has been scheduled in the Myrtle Beach Safari owner’s federal animal trafficking case.
Court filings show Doc Antle’s sentencing is set for 10:30 a.m., July 8 in Charleston.
It was originally set for June 10, but both parties filed a motion stating that they needed more time to resolve several objections to the presentencing report. Attorneys also needed extra time to talk to potential witnesses who are out of state.
Antle, who runs Myrtle Beach Safari and was also featured in the popular Netflix series Tiger King, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder money.
Antle is the owner and operator of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. He is also the director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Federal sentencing set for S.C. zookeeper featured in ‘Tiger King’
- S.C. roadside zoo owner ‘Doc’ Antle pleads guilty to federal crime
- S.C. exotic animal park owner convicted of wildlife trafficking
- ‘Doc’ Antle wildlife trafficking trial delayed until June 2023
The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Court documents show in September 2018 he paid a person to travel to Florida and pay about $35,000 for two young cheetahs.
Then in January 2019, Antle sold two lion cubs to an organization in exchange for $15,000, according to the documents.
He’s also made $10,000 in payments to the Rare Species Fund in exchange for two tigers that were transported from South Carolina to Montana in March 2019.
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The court documents added that in May 2020, a young chimpanzee was transported from Florida to Myrtle Beach Safari, where Antle paid $200,000 in cash and checks for the chimpanzee.
All of the animals involved are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Antle then used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state.
He also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as “donations.”
The investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between Feb. and April 2022, when Antle and his co-conspirator conducted financial transactions with cash they believed was obtained from transporting and harboring undocumented immigrants.
To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle would take it and deposit the cash into bank s they controlled. Antle and his co-conspirator would then write a check to the person who provided them the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction.
For each count, Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
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