Stretch limo leaves without VIP passenger as Joe Exotic misses out on presidential pardon
'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic, who is serving a 22-year sentence.
Former zookeeper Joe Exotic is continuing his stay behind bars after a legal bid for him to be pardoned by Donald Trump was unsuccessful.
Exotic, the subject of explosive Netflix documentary series and whose full name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas for animal abuse as well as for his part in a plot to murder animal rights activist Carole Baskin. He was arrested in 2018.
His case gained international awareness when featured by Netflix in March 2020 and Exotic and his lawyers have since petitioned outgoing US President Donald Trump to pardon him.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Exotic's legal team said they were "100% confident" Trump would pardon the 'Tiger King' from his sentence.
'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic has a limo waiting in anticipation that Donald Trump will pardon him before leaving office
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A stretch limo was seen outside the Fort Worth office of Exotic’s lawyers, who expected him to be released. Exotic planned to travel in the 38ft Monster Ram Truck Limo from prison, stopping on the way home for some McRibs, according to local reports.
A recent 257-page application for pardon included a personal plea from Exotic to Trump and was submitted following the death of Francis Schreibvogel, Exotic’s father, due to complications from Covid-19.
In April last year, President Trump said he would consider issuing a pardon for Exotic, after Donald Trump Jr brought the case to his attention.
Rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black are among the 143 people pardoned by Trump on his last day in office as well as former strategist Steve Bannon.
Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, pleaded guilty last year to illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.
Kodak Black, born Bill Kahan Kapri, is in federal prison after pleading guilty to a firearms possession charge after being detained at the Canadian-American border in March 2020.
Bannon, who was a chief strategist in the White House and instrumental to Trump’s election victory, was arrested in New York last year by federal prosecutors on charges of defrauding the public over an effort to raise private funds to build Trump’s wall on the US-Mexico border. Bannon has denied the charges.
A statement from the White House said: “Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.
“Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen.”
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