OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge resentenced “Tiger King” Joe Exotic to 21 years in prison on Friday, reducing his punishment by just a year after an appeals court ordered a new sentence.
Joe Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. Both were featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”
Maldonado-Passage was resentenced after a federal appeals court ruled last year than improper sentencing guidelines were used.
Prosecutors say Maldonado-Passage tried to hire two people — including an undercover FBI agent — to kill Baskin, who’d criticized his treatment of animals. But Maldonado-Passage’s attorneys said he wasn’t being serious.
Several supporters of Maldonado-Passage packed into the courtroom, some wearing animal-print masks and T-shirts that read: “Free Joe Exotic.”
The court also heard Baskin, who testified that she was fearful that Maldonado-Passage could threaten her.
“He continues to harbor intense feelings of ill will toward me,” she said.
Last month, attorneys said Maldonado-Passage was delaying prostate cancer treatment until after his resentencing.