A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled Wednesday that “Tiger King” superstar Joe Exotic should have received a shorter sentence for his plot to kill Carole Baskin.
The panel concluded that the trial court erred in treating the two convictions separately, according to The Associated Press (AP). Since the two charges involve killing Baskin, the judges believed the charges should have been treated as one conviction.
A Denver federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that “Tiger King” Joe Exotic should get a shorter prison sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot and violating wildlife laws. He was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison in January 2020.https://t.co/ZaPjPPVlOC
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 14, 2021
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced in 2017 to 22 years in federal prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot targeted at Carole Baskin. (RELATED: Joe Exotic Says He’ll ‘Be Dead In 2-3 Months’ In Letter From Prison)
“People should know what they saw on television isn’t the full truth. It isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. It was snowflakes on the tip of the iceberg, largely manufactured by those who wanted to see Joe Exotic in jail for their own benefit,” John M. Phillips, an attorney for Maldonado-Passage said, according to The AP.
Since his 2017 sentencing, Maldonado-Passage has asked then-President Donald Trump to pardon him and asked for help from Baskin in an attempt to reduce his prison sentence.