MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — “Tiger King” star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle has been charged with laundering more than half a million dollars.
Federal prosecutors said Monday that the wild animal trainer believed the money was the proceeds of an operation to smuggle people across the Mexican border into the United States.
Antle and a co-defendant, Omar Sawyer, were arrested Friday and each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
Their attorneys did not immediately comment on the charges.
Antle is featured prominently in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders and private zoo operators in the U.S.