Read the Begging Letter Joe Exotic Sent to Trump's Attorney General Pick Matt Gaetz Pleading for Pardon — After Offering The Don Services as Head of Wildlife in New Cabinet
Joe Exotic wrote a letter begging Donald Trumps's attorney for pardon.
Nov. 19 2024, Published 11:43 a.m. ET
Joe Exotic has written to Donald Trump's attorney from jail begging to be released in a last-ditch bid for freedom — and pitched himself for a cabinet role in the process.
The Tiger King star, 61, is fighting to prove his innocence and get out of Fort Worth prison early by reaching out directly to Matt Gaetz in a letter titled, "I am innocent/pardon request", RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
The ex reality star still sees himself being successful even with the felon label attached to him.
With Trump set to take office in 2025, Exotic – real name Joe Maldonado – pleaded for an early release after claiming all the evidence of "injustice" being done to him "went on deaf ears under the current administration".
Revealing the letter to RadarOnline.com, Exotic wrote to Gaetz: "Over the last 7 years of this injustice that has been done to me, you have been one of my strongest supporters of a pardon along with congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Senator Marco Rubio who opened a congressional inquiry for me.
Exotic is desperate for Trump's assistance and offered to become become the Director of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service.
"You all have seen the evidence and the videos of the government witnesses admitting to perjury and admitting having had a plot to kill me if putting me in prison to steal my zoo didn't work out.
"We also now have over 400 phone recordings and videos of the federal agents knowing their witnesses were lying which were recorded by those very witnesses."
The Netflix star revealed that his lawyer, John M. Phillips, submitted a complaint to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the FBI director, the U.S. Attorney in Oklahoma City, and authorities in Florida.
The complaint included evidence that the government witnesses who testified against him were involved in credit card fraud, identity theft, bank fraud, sex trafficking, and rape.
The 'Tiger King' star is still fighting to receive a pardon while serving his 21-year sentence.
Exotic then questioned why he was still in prison, writing: "Why does the current President and administration not give a damn about my innocence or the fact that these people that have committed real crimes and not been charged in my case and me allowed to return home?"
He said his current attorneys, John Pierce and Rodger Roots, have him on appeal and that he'll be able to go home "at some point" if there is "any honesty left to this system".
Exotic further questioned: "But why should I sit in prison with two types of cancer, a blood disease that requires very expensive treatment every month, scabies, and without the ability to even obtain minimal medical care?
"There is evidence that I am innocent, and these charges could be dropped or reversed by someone like you that will have the power to take this to an honest District Court (not the one in the Western District of Oklahoma) and have these charges dropped and allow me to move past this."
The TV star claimed he was "kidnapped by the American justice system and held as a political prisoner for Kamala Harris" and had been "severely abused by federal contracted holdovers" – saying he was stripped naked, tied into a chair, and put into a dark shower "until the skin came off his arms".
You can see the photos he included in the letter below.
The Tiger King star shared photos of his cuts after claiming he was put into a shower 'until the skin came off his arms' in prison.
His plea continued: "My parents have died, I lost 55 years of hard work to only achieve the American dream of owning my own home and business. I have lost everything including my clothes and belongings.
"I have gotten divorced and everyone in the world has benefited and profited from me being here except me."
Exotic claimed he was 'severely abused by federal contracted holdovers'.
He directly addressed Gatez, writing: "You will have the power to correct this or at least recommend to President Trump to correct this in January of 2025.
"I used to love my country but 7 years of being put through hell by my own country I have now questioned if I want to stay in America."
Exotic then told Gaetz he would "love to become the Director of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service and clean up the waste and the corruption within that department," adding that "President Trump is appointing people that can do that exact thing".
However, Exotic noted his only problem would be that he has "full intentions" of marrying Jorge Flores. He added that Flores is "a Mexican national who needs asylum to remain in America".
Exotic continued: "Either way the FWS needs a major overhaul and the best thing about that department I have heard on the news in the last 7 years is on Fox News a gentleman said Trump needs to abolish that Department and return it to the states like the abortion issue.
"That department serves America for no purpose other than cost because in 23 years I never saw a Federal Wildlife officer question anything I did with animals until there was an agenda to put me in prison to monopolize on exotic big cats."
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Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Allen Maldonado, believes he can still have successful career even if he's considered a 'felon' the rest of his life.
Exotic finished his letter by informing Gaezx that his goal was "not only to return to freedom in America and to marry an amazing man but to testify before Congress what is really going on in the American prison system behind closed doors and how Congress passes laws to destroy families and businesses based on political donations and lobbyists".
He explained: "People should be held accountable for the deaths of prisoners and putting people in prison based on perjury and agendas just like the agenda they used to go after President Trump."
In the letter, Joe claimed he is innocent.
Exotic added: "Until this happens America will never be the land of the FREE. Because America destroyed my life."
The former exotic animal park owner was jailed in 2019 and is currently set to be released in 2036. He's aiming for release next year after his legal team filed an appeal for a retrial, citing newly discovered evidence.
