“Tiger King” star Joe Exotic — who is serving a federal prison sentence for a murder-for-hire plot targeting controversial animal activist Carole Baskin — was reportedly moved from Texas to North Carolina as he undergoes treatment for cancer.
John M. Phillips, who is an attorney for Joe Exotic, 58, said in a statement issued Saturday that his client, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was transferred from Fort Worth Medical Center to Butner Medical Center for treatment for prostate cancer.
Phillips said that months earlier, Exotic completed a blood test that confirmed he had cancer.
Updates on @joe_exotic – It has been a busy week for Joseph Maldonado. We expect his legal case will be escalating pretty soon. We are aware that federal agents are contacting witnesses. We urge every witness contacted by law enforcement to hire a lawyer. pic.twitter.com/edLxJYYtOU
— John M. Phillips (@JohnPhillips) November 20, 2021
“The PSA [prostate-specific antigen] test is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. It was high months ago. He finally obtained biopsies. They revealed two cancerous areas. He is undergoing further testing,” Phillips disclosed.
Phillips confirmed to Fox News that Exotic was moved to the North Carolina medical facility on Tuesday or Wednesday via a private plane.
According to Phillips, Exotic is housed at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC), Butner. The attorney also said that the move was supposed to occur later this month.
“He needs cancer treatment, but we hoped the Marshal’s Service and Bureau of Prisons would choose to send him to Oklahoma, so he can prepare for his re-sentencing and upcoming Motions to overturn his conviction,” Phillips said in the statement.
In January 2020, Exotic was initially sentenced to 22 to 27 years in federal prison for violating federal wildlife laws and a murder-for-hire plot targeting Baskin, who also appeared in the popular Netflix docuseries.
However, in June of this year, a federal appeals court ruled that Exotic should have received a sentence between 17 1/2 years and just under 22 years. As a result, the court ordered the trial court to resentence him.
Regarding his cancer diagnosis, Exotic said, “Right now I don’t want anyone’s pity and I’m sure Carole will have her own party over this!”
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[Featured image: Joe Exotic/AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File]
