In this Aug. 28, 2013, file photo, the late Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, answers a question during an interview at the zoo he runs in Wynnewood, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
FORT WORTH, Texas (CN) Imprisoned “Tiger King” docuseries star Joe Exotic sued the Justice Department Wednesday, disputing a rejection of his pardon application because it was not presented directly to President Donald Trump.
Joseph Maldonado-Passage, 57, sued the U.S. Office of the Pardon Attorney in federal court in Fort Worth. He is currently an inmate at the nearby Federal Medical Center Fort Worth.
He was convicted in 2019 on two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.