Joe Exotic is using the newly unsealed Jeffrey Epstein files to make his point about the US justice system.
The eccentric Netflix star was the focus of the docuseries Tiger King, which documented his private zoo and long-standing rivalry with Carole Baskin, the owner of an animal sanctuary.
The former zookeeper, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado, made an Instagram post last week with the caption, "Guess who’s not in the Epstein files."
Highlights
- Joe Exotic criticized perceived flaws in the US justice system from prison.
- The star, jailed for hiring two men to execute a tiger refuge owner, has long demanded a presidential pardon.
- Sharing an edited picture featuring tigers, Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell, he questioned authorities' response to the Epstein case.
Image credits: joe_exotic
In a separate post, he shared an edited image of himself behind bars along with the text, "Look who’s the only one in prison but not in the Epstein files.”
Maldonado also wrote that “America's Justice System needs to be overhauled.”
The media personality is serving a 22-year federal prison sentence following his 2020 conviction on charges including a m*rder‑for‑hire plot to take the life of Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin.
Image credits: Getty/Kypros
Baskin criticized Maldonado for his treatment of animals he owned. Their feud began in 2009 when she started a campaign to ban commercial cub petting in the United States, targeting Maldonado's shows.
He, in turn, accused Baskin of hypocrisy, arguing that she also charged admission to her tiger refuge in Florida.
In 2017, Maldonado told two men, one of whom was an undercover FBI agent, that he would pay them $10,000 to execute Baskin.
Image credits: joe_exotic
He was also found guilty of wildlife crimes, including sacrificing five tigers to make room for other big cats at his zoo.
The aspiring country singer, who announced his intent to run for president in 2023, has maintained his innocence and continues to seek a presidential pardon.
“All I did was build a zoo, and some people were very jealous. Then I was put into prison by my own country,” he said.
When asked in 2020 during his first presidency whether he would pardon Maldonado, Donald Trump replied, “I’ll take a look.”
This week, Maldonado re-posted an article reporting that Trump had shared a video depicting the Obamas as monkeys.
The tiger trader wrote, “People close to President Trump say He is worried about bad press if he lets me out by signing my clemency? You can't get worse than this right now in America. He needs the Tiger King to save his party....Free Joe Exotic.”
Image credits: Santa Rosa County Jail
The release of the “Epstein files” by the US Department of Justice—documents related to a case involving one of Epstein’s accusers—has drawn attention to a number of high-profile figures who interacted with the child predator.
While being mentioned in the files is no proof of wrongdoing, Maldonado seemingly claims in his posts that he is being treated unfairly and that some individuals in his country will never face legal consequences because of their power or connections.
Some of the celebrities and politicians named in the Epstein files are Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Woody Allen, and Naomi Campbell.
Image credits: Netflix
Epstein was found lifeless in his jail cell in 2019 after being arrested on federal charges related to the s*x trafficking of minors.
His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who recruited underage girls for him, was found guilty of child s*x trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who is King Charles’ younger brother, was stripped of his royal titles after he was accused of forcing a 17-year-old woman, Virginia Giuffre, to sleep with him on three occasions.
Image credits: www.imdb.com
Giuffre had been hired as a masseuse for Epstein before she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” to the financier’s friends, she told the BBC in 2019.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before the US Congress about his links to Epstein.
In a statement, King Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, voiced their support for Epstein and Maxwell’s victims.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of ab*se,” Buckingham Palace said.
Image credits: Netflix
Emails unsealed by the US Department of Justice also show that supermodel Naomi Campbell had dinner with Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein at the latter’s New York mansion in 2009, after he was placed on probation under house arrest.
The previous year, Epstein had been convicted for procuring a child for pr*stitution.
An exchange between Maxwell and Campbell shows the socialite offering to bring “two playmates” for the model.
Image credits: Netflix
In an email sent in 2012, Elon Musk asked Epstein whether he would host another party, explaining that he wanted to "let loose."
"I've been working to the edge of sanity this year and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose," he wrote.
The tech billionaire also wrote in an email to the financier, "What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?"
Image credits: Netflix
Both Campbell and Mountbatten-Windsor have maintained their innocence and denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Musk said in an X post that he was "well aware that some email correspondence with [Epstein] could be misinterpreted and used by detractors to smear my name."
The latest batch of “Epstein files” included three million pages, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos. The release of Epstein-related documents was mandated by a law passed last year.
