Latest news with #Exotic
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
White House Addresses Tiger King 's Joe Exotic Requesting Pardon
Originally appeared on E! Online Joe Exotic will remain in prison until further notice. The White House responded to the Tiger King docuseries subject's request to be pardoned by President Donald Trump over his conviction for the attempted murder-for-hire of his rival Carole Baskin, for which he is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence in Florida. Addressing the inquiry, a White House official told E! News May 28, "We do not speculate on pardons that may or may not happen." Prior to the executive branch's statement, Exotic—who was convicted of 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire in 2020 but has long proclaimed his innocence—called out Trump for issuing full pardons for Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley over their 2022 tax fraud convictions before helping him out. "I guess being innocent is not enough in America," the 62-year-old wrote in a message on X May 27 before noting that he's also been battling late-stage prostate cancer since being diagnosed in 2021. "They all admitted to perjury on world television but yet I'm left to die of cancer before I can get any help." More from E! Online Brad Pitt Breaks Silence on Finalizing Angelina Jolie Divorce Duck Dynasty's Korie Robertson Says Phil Robertson's Health Declined 'Really Rapidly' Before His Death Todd Chrisley Released From Prison After Donald Trump Pardon He added, "Why is it the entire world can see the evidence but the White House refuses to acknowledge that they did this to me knowing that they were lying." Following the message, many came out in support of Exotic being pardoned, with one user writing on X, "@realDonaldTrump free the Tiger King." Another theorized that it would happen soon, saying, "I have a feeling your gonna be on the list of pardons just hang in there." And while Exotic may be looking to get out of his prison sentence, which is currently scheduled to end in 2041, his time behind bars hasn't only been filled with negative experiences. After all, last month, the former big cat owner announced that he tied the knot with a fellow prison inmate. 'Never been more proud of someone,' Exotic wrote on X April 21, alongside a photo of him and his partner in matching suits at the wedding. 'Meet my husband Jorge Flores Maldonado.' As for the Chrisleys, read on for all the details on their legal case. Indicted on Tax Evasion and Other ChargesTodd and Julie Found GuiltySentenced to Multiple Years in PrisonStarting Their SentencesNo ContactTodd Details Filthy Prison ConditionsSavannah Chrisley Speaks OutJulie's Prison Sentence OverturnedA Tearful ApologyPresident Donald Trump Pardons the Chrisleys For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
The Hill
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Jailed reality TV star Joe Exotic rips Trump Chrisley pardons
'Tiger King's' Joe Exotic is voicing his frustration with President Trump again for pardoning reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley of their fraud and tax evasion charges and not offering him the same. 'You are either rich and connected or your poor and being trafficked by the system,' Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado, said in one of many posts criticizing the clemency, which were uploaded on his Instagram account on Tuesday. 'I guess being innocent is not enough in America,' he wrote in another post, this one shared on social platform X. 'They all admitted to perjury on world television but yet I'm left to die of cancer before I can get any help.' He added in separate X post, 'I don't have a million dollars but I would give it if I could get out to work.' In other posts on both platforms, the 61-year-old 'Tiger King' star insisted he is innocent, claiming he 'did not hurt anyone' and 'did not pay anyone.' Maldonado's criticism comes after Trump pardoned the stars of 'Chrisley Knows Best,' a reality series that lasted from 2014 until 2023. The couple was convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion charges in 2022. The ex-zoo owner has been serving a 22-year federal prison sentence since 2020 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against Carole Baskin, who also appeared in the Netflix documentary series. A federal judge resentenced Exotic to 21 years in prison in 2022. He has been calling for a pardon from Trump since the president's first term in office. He also pressed former President Joe Biden to offer him clemency while he was in office. Maldonado has made a point to voice his displeasure almost every time a new pardon is announced. In January, he criticized the president and his predecessor after the former president granted pardons to some members of his family and Trump granted clemency to roughly 1,500 rioters charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. 'If I was a crack dealer, maybe if I broke in the [Capitol] … or even have been related to the Bidens. I might have gotten some relief on being in prison innocent,' he said at the time.
New York Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's husband pleads to return to US
'Tiger King' Joe Exotic's husband says he's been tossed from one cage into another — and now fears for his life in cartel-infested Mexico after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials booted him from the US. 'There is a lot of organized crime here and there is no security,' Jorge Flores Maldonado told The Post this week from Tamaulipas state, in northeastern Mexico — where he is begging to come back to the US. 5 Jorge Flores Maldonado had been 'depressed' since getting deported to his native Mexico May 17 — and hasn't been able to communicate with his husband, Joe Exotic, he told The Post. Instagram/@joe_exotic Advertisement 'I am a very famous person and right now I run the risk of being kidnapped. 'The cartels are very active here — I cannot even go out on the street,' he added. 'They think I have money because of my husband.' Maldonado, 33, was deported by ICE May 17 after getting busted in August for allegedly driving a car loaded with six other undocumented immigrants across the US-Mexican border. Advertisement It was inside a federal lockup in Fort Worth, Texas, where sparks flew between the migrant and the most infamous cat-wrangler in America. 5 Maldonado now fears for his safety in the cartel-ridden Tamaulipas state of Mexico. Obtained by the New York Post 'It was a beautiful romance,' Maldonado said, referring to his relationship-turned-marriage to Exotic, aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, 63, who is in his fifth year of a 21-year sentence for plotting to hire a hitman to murder his arch-rival Carole Baskin, and for violating federal wildlife laws. 'When I arrived at the prison, Joe wanted to get to know me, he wanted to talk to me, and since I didn't know English, we would translate back and forth because he said, 'I want to know more about you,'' Maldonado recalled. Advertisement Despite never having seen Netflix's hit series, 'Tiger King,' or knowing anything about the caged celebrity, Maldonado said they quickly fell head-over-heels during long walks in the prison yards, shared workouts and meals, library dates and movie nights. 5 Maldonado and Exotic tied the knot inside of the federal Texas lockup in November. Obtained by the New York Post 'He is very nice, he made me laugh at anything, he was always happy,' he gushed. 'We had a very beautiful routine.' To bridge the language barrier, Exotic took Spanish classes while his beau attempted to pick up English — although Maldonado insisted on speaking only in his native tongue during a call with The Post this week. Advertisement They sealed their unlikely love story with a prison wedding in November, marking the occasion with tattoos of 'Joe Exotic' on Maldonado's neck, and an image of Exotic's face inked on his left forearm. 5 'He is very nice, he made me laugh at anything, he was always happy,' Maldonado said about Exotic. Instagram/@joe_exotic 5 Exotic, aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, is currently in his fifth year of a 21-year sentence for plotting to hire a hitman to murder his arch-rival Carole Baskin, and for violating federal wildlife laws. Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images But the romance hit a wall when ICE shipped Maldonado back across the border, cutting off contact with his big-cat-loving husband. 'I feel terrible, I have been very depressed, desperate,' he said. Maldonado is now pleading for a miracle – and a pardon. 'I want permission to return to the United States and I want Donald Trump to pardon my husband as well – that's what I want. I want him to get out of prison, so we can move to the beach. We have many plans. We want to start working again, to do a lot of things, to live a beautiful life. Advertisement 'Joe wants to return to his music…and I want to support him,' he added. When asked by a reporter if he would consider pardoning Exotic in April 2020, Trump said he didn't know anything about the case but vowed to 'take a look.'
9 News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Tiger King star pleads for pardon after husband deported from US
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Joe Exotic, the imprisoned star of Netflix true crime documentary Tiger King , has taken to social media to plead for a presidential pardon after his husband was deported from the US. The 62-year-old Exotic, real name Joseph Allen Maldonado, said on social media he married fellow inmate Jorge Marquez in November last year. Marquez was released from prison, where he was reportedly being held on immigration violations, and deported to Mexico over the weekend. Joe Exotic with Jorge Marquez in 2024. (Twitter: Joe Exotic) Exotic posted his plea to US President Donald Trump, whose candidacy Exotic supported - despite briefly announcing his intention to run for the White House himself while behind bars - on social media site X. "I don't mind deportation because it's the law and we knew this was coming, however when they come to America for shelter from the bad ... America could at least make sure they are returned safely," he said. Exotic claimed Marquez had been "dumped at the border" by US immigration agents, and was then attacked and robbed by cartel members while on a bus to Monterrey. Tagging Trump's X account in an earlier post, Exotic said: "I know that you are not fond of my lifestyle, but I supported you ... just allow me go to Mexico with my husband." In another post, he promised he would stay with Marquez in Mexico until the latter could return to the US legally, if pardoned. In 2020, Exotic began serving a 22-year prison sentence (later reduced to 21 years) after he was convicted hiring two men to kill activist Carole Baskin. He repeatedly maintains online that he is innocent. prison crime US POLITICS entertainment celebrities USA World CONTACT US
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tiger King's Joe Exotic says his new husband has been deported - but still begs for a Trump pardon
Tiger King star Joe Exotic shared that his husband was deported to Mexico after being released from prison – as the Netflix star continues to beg President Donald Trump for a pardon so he can be with his partner. The former tiger trader, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, pleaded with Trump on X, writing, 'just let me go to Mexico and you can keep Carole Baskin.' Exotic, 62, is serving a 21-year prison sentence at Federal Medical Center Fort Worth for animal abuse and plotting to kill Baskin, his longtime rival. While in prison, he met and married his husband, fellow inmate Jorge Flores Marquez. Marquez, 33, was deported to Mexico on Friday immediately after completing a sentence in federal prison for residing unlawfully in the country, a representative for Exotic confirmed to TMZ. Exotic, who rose to fame through the Netflix true-crime documentary, Tiger King, has repeatedly requested the president pardon him – this time begging Trump to free him so that he could go to Mexico to be with his husband. Trump has been pushing an anti-immigration agenda and has deported thousands from the U.S. during his first 100 days in office. 'Mr. President, it's really past time to have one of your people watch Tiger King Season 2, where they all admitted to perjury and a plot to kill me on world television and let me out,' Exotic wrote on X on Sunday. 'I know that you are not fond of my lifestyle, but I supported you just allow me to go to Mexico with my husband,' he continued. 'Eight years for nothing is long enough. Don't you think?' he concluded his plea. Earlier this year, Exotic slammed Trump for again failing to pardon him and said he would have been better off if he had stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In another post, Exotic wrote on X that his husband had an ICE hearing scheduled for Monday and even 'the ICE agents didn't understand why he got sent back so fast.' 'I'm exhausted trying to figure out why you won't listen to the evidence,' Exotic wrote to Trump. Exotic and Marquez were married sometime in the spring after getting engaged in prison in October. 'Meet Jorge Marquez, he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico. Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum, or we be leaving America when we both get out,' Exotic wrote on X at the time. 'Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago.'
