LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WKYT) — Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado, the star of the Netflix documentary series "Tiger King," has been moved to a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky.
The move was announced Friday morning on Maldonado's Facebook page, which said fans could send mail to a P.O. Box at Lexington Medical Center.
Maldonado, 63, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison in 2020 after he was found guilty of several charges. Those include two counts of murder for hire, eights counts of falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.
Federal investigators said Maldonado hired two people — including an undercover FBI agent — in November 2017 in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Carole Baskin.
A separate investigation found he killed five tigers in October 2017 to make room for more animals at his Oklahoma zoo. He was also convicted of illegally selling tiger cubs across state lines, violating the Endangered Species Act.
Maldonado is currently scheduled to be released from prison in 2036.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.