Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the flamboyant zookeeper who gained fame through Netflix’s “Tiger King,” was sentenced in Charleston, South Carolina, to one year and one day in federal prison after admitting he trafficked endangered animals and laundered money to finance the purchases. U.S. District Judge Joseph Dawson III also imposed a $55,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Antle pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and to laundering more than $500,000 that he believed was tied to a human-smuggling operation. Prosecutors said he used the cash to buy and sell cheetah, lion, tiger and chimpanzee cubs for display at his Myrtle Beach Safari attraction, skirting federal wildlife-protection rules. Investigators, aided by FBI wiretaps, detailed how Antle routed payments through his Rare Species Fund charity and disguised them as donations before moving animals across state lines. Federal guidelines called for roughly two years in prison, but the judge cited Antle’s purported care for the roughly 150 animals at his facility in opting for a shorter term. Under the sentence, Antle must forfeit three chimpanzees and nearly $200,000 in assets obtained through the scheme. The case is expected to close one of the last legal chapters stemming from the 2020 pandemic-era documentary, whose main protagonist, Joe Exotic, is serving 21 years on unrelated charges.