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by JENN WOOD
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Bhagavan “Doc” Antle — the eccentric wildlife showman and owner of Myrtle Beach Safari best known for his starring role in Netflix’s Tiger King documentary — was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison on Tuesday following a sweeping investigation that exposed a wildlife trafficking and money laundering network operating under the guise of conservation.
The 64-year-old was also fined $55,000, ordered to forfeit more than $197,000 (and three chimpanzees) to the government and sentenced to three years of supervised release. His co-defendants — including exotic animal sellers and a zoo operator — have also been sentenced or pleaded guilty in related cases.
The sentencing caps off a years-long federal probe that revealed Antle was not only buying and selling endangered animals in violation of the Lacey Act, but also laundering more than half a million dollars in what he believed to be proceeds from a human smuggling operation.
“Doc Antle portrayed himself as a conservationist,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling of South Carolina. “But in reality, he was a key player in the illegal chimpanzee trade, and he laundered more than half a million dollars through a complex web of deceit.”
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WILDLIFE CONSPIRACY UNCOVERED
As FITSNews previously reported, federal agents arrested Antle in June 2022 and later indicted him for wildlife trafficking and money laundering. In November 2023, Antle entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in South Carolina, admitting to his role in both conspiracies.
According to federal prosecutors, Antle orchestrated a scheme to buy and sell endangered animals — including baby chimpanzees, cheetahs, lions, and tigers — while creating fake paperwork and routing payments through his nonprofit, the Rare Species Fund, to conceal the illegal nature of the transactions. One of the chimpanzees was purchased in 2019 in exchange for $200,000 in cash and a juvenile gibbon.
Antle’s co-defendant in the wildlife trafficking case, Jason Clay, was sentenced to four months in prison and fined $4,000 for his role in the illegal sale of the chimpanzee.
Another participant, Shaylynn Kolwyck-Peterson, pleaded guilty last month to illegally selling a newborn chimpanzee to Antle in 2022. She is affiliated with Sunshine Zoological Preserve in Florida — believed to be the only facility in the U.S. breeding chimpanzees for private purposes.
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THE MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION
In a separate federal conspiracy, Antle and co-defendant Andrew Sawyer laundered more than $500,000 in cash between February and April 2022. The money, which they believed to be tied to smuggling undocumented immigrants across the U.S.–Mexico border, was laundered through checks written from Myrtle Beach Safari, disguised as construction-related payments.
Sawyer was sentenced to two years of probation, including eight months of home detention. He forfeited nearly $185,000 and a chimpanzee to the federal government.
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) described the case as one of the most significant wildlife trafficking prosecutions in recent memory, citing the use of nonprofit organizations to mask illegal activity and the broad scope of Antle’s animal trade operation.
“These traffickers operated under the false pretense of conservation,” said USFWS assistant director Douglas Ault. “They betrayed both the law and the public trust.”
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A FALL FROM GRACE
Antle rose to fame through Tiger King, the sensational Netflix docuseries that chronicled the world of private exotic animal parks. But long before the show aired, Antle had built a controversial reputation for breeding and exhibiting big cats and other endangered species at his 50-acre Myrtle Beach Safari in Horry County, South Carolina.
Federal scrutiny intensified in 2020 following the surge of public interest from Tiger King. A series of investigations revealed Antle’s longstanding involvement in the exotic animal trade and raised questions about the legitimacy of his conservation claims.
Antle’s public persona, built around wildlife rescue and education, now lies in ruins.
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With his sentence now handed down, Antle will report to federal prison while serving three years of supervised release once freed. The federal government has seized over $380,000 in assets from the conspiracy — and multiple chimpanzees — as part of the case.
Meanwhile, the Rare Species Fund and Myrtle Beach Safari — Antle’s former business and nonprofit fronts — remain under a cloud of suspicion. Federal officials have made clear they intend to continue targeting traffickers who exploit endangered animals and abuse nonprofit status to enrich themselves.
“These sentences should send a clear message: the FBI and our partners will not tolerate those who attempt to violate our laws,” said Kevin Moore, special agent in charge of the Columbia, S.C. FBI field office. “We remain firmly committed to investigating and holding accountable individuals whose illegal actions threaten our financial systems and put protected species at risk.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.
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