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Tiger King star Joe Exotic writes a letter to the president-elect Donald TrumpHe begs for his early release from prison.

In the obtained letter RadarOnlineThe 61-year-old man, whose real name is Joe Maldonado-Passage, is seeking release from the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The exotic that went viral thanks to the hit of 2020 netflix The documentary shared his support for Trump, 78, while also highlighting the difficulties of his current situation.

“In 2021, many people who have been living in hell since then have come to your side,” wrote Exotic, who spent 21 years in prison for the murder-for-hire case he filed against rival Carole Baskin. “Everyone hopes you will keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone in January 2025.”

“Some, like me, fought like hell to hang on, hoping you win this election,” he continued, noting that he was “insanely afraid” of the Vice President. Kamala Harris potentially winning.

Also took X (formerly excitement) To share an article on Tuesday, November 12 Daily Monster About possible Trump pardons, with title“Trump, you must grant my pardon in January. The media is counting on you this time.”

The former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, was arrested in 2019. He was convicted of two counts of murder-for-hire, nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, and nine counts of violating the Lacey Act. A law banning the illegal trade of wildlife, fish and plants, scheduled for 2036.

However, Exotic hopes to be released in 2025 as his legal team is appealing for a retrial based on allegedly newly discovered evidence. His lawyer, Roger Roots, said the evidence showed his client’s case was “riddled with errors that fundamentally go to the heart of the charges.” He added: “If this evidence had been known at the time, he would not have been convicted.”

In addition to being released, Exotic also asked in his letter to become part of Trump’s cabinet as the new Federal Fish and Wildlife Director. “It’s time to bring some honesty to this department because former director Dan Ash only thought about himself and his position within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” Exotic wrote. Exotic adds, “He used his federal position to appoint me. He’s unemployed and in prison to benefit his nonprofit, AZA.”

Exotic claimed that “hundreds of millions of dollars” had been wasted at the department and decried the claim that the 1973 Endangered Species Act was being used to create monopolies rather than protect animals.

His letter to the president-elect comes just a few weeks after Exotic announced her engagement To fellow inmate Jorge Marquez, 33. She took to X to share the news along with a photo of the couple, writing: “She is so gorgeous and Mexican… I wish I had met her a long time ago.”

Exotic was previously married to Travis Maldonado, who was also seen in the Netflix series, and who tragically died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2017. She married Dillon Passage but the couple separated in 2021.