Joe Exotic used ‘Tiger King’ Netflix royalties to deal drugs in prison, ex-lawyer claims in lawsuit
FORT WORTH, TEXAS: A lawsuit brought by one of Joe Exotic's (legally named Joseph Maldonado-Passage) former attorneys claims that the star of ‘Tiger King' surreptitiously peddled narcotics while incarcerated and claimed to be battling cancer. After the Netflix star accused him of poor management and attempted to have the attorney's license suspended, Francisco Hernandez claimed in court records that Exotic admitted to distributing narcotics.
Hernandez retaliated with a stunning 147-page court document, calling the reality star's assertions false. In a legal response to the State Bar of Texas, Hernandez said that he and Exotic had broken up because of the previous owner's unethical business operations which included aiding drug trades in jail. The infamous 'Tiger King' actor allegedly placed the drug order by inadvertently using the lawyer to pay suppliers, Hernandez argued as per The Sun.
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Exotic used his Tiger King company account (IOLTA) which also holds profits from a book contract, music royalties and fan donations to purchase the medications. According to The Sun, Hernandez’s lawyer Roland Johnson said in the lawsuit: "Unbeknownst to Mr Hernandez, some payments that Mr Maldonado-Passage directed Mr. Hernandez to make [from his account] were cloaked payments for drug transactions in the prison. Indeed, Mr Maldonado-Passage would lie to Mr Hernandez, referring to the payments as expenses for tiger food, among other descriptions. Mr Hernandez only learned of the true nature of these payments in September 2021, when Mr Maldonado-Passage was caught in prison with a burner phone and admitted the practice to Mr Hernandez. Of course, Mr Hernandez told Mr Maldonado-Passage to cease facilitating the drug payments." In his court documents, Hernandez claimed to had email proof that Exotic had "directed Mr. Hernandez to use funds" from his Tiger King company account to buy drugs.
As stated by The Sun’s insiders, Exotic allegedly oversaw the drug scheme by mandating that concealed payments be paid to criminals operating outside of jail so that they might smuggle narcotics into the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Fort Worth, Texas. The complaint claims that Exotic would then get protection and gifts from prisons. Exotic's cell phone was apparently found by the guards and this prompted the jail administration to institute disciplinary measures.
It's a remarkable reversal for the pair, who were close in 2020 when the Texas attorney was urging then-President Donald Trump to pardon Exotic. After being found guilty of wildlife crimes and a murder-for-hire plan meant to assassinate Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin, Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison.