'They were lying': Tiger King attacks Trump DOJ after being ignored in pardons

"Joe Exotic" known as the "Tiger King" complained about being left out in President Donald Trump's latest rounds of pardons in a post on X Tuesday.

“I guess being innocent is not enough in America,” the 62-year-old Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, wrote via X on Tuesday. He’s been “left to die of cancer before I can get any help."

The complaint came after Trump pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted by a jury for bank and tax fraud offenses.

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“Over the course of a decade, the defendants defrauded banks out of tens of millions of dollars while evading payment of their federal income taxes” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan in a Justice Department release in 2022. “Their lengthy sentences reflect the magnitude of their criminal scheme and should serve as a warning to others tempted to exploit our nation’s community banking system for unlawful personal gain.”

"Joe Exotic" was convicted by a federal jury in 2019 for "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," announced former U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing in a DOJ release.

He was sentenced to 22 years in prison while Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to 12 and seven years in prison, respectively.

"The self-described Tiger King was not above the law," said former First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. "Rather, the jury only needed a few hours of deliberation before finding him guilty of engaging in a murder-for-hire plot to kill a rival and violating federal laws intended to protect wildlife when he killed multiple tigers, sold tiger cubs, and falsified wildlife records. We are thankful for the jury’s careful attention, deliberation, and verdict in this case."

Both the charges and his trial happened during Trump's first administration. Still, he complained that the Trump DOJ "did this to me knowing that they were lying." He also alleged, "the entire world can see the evidence but the White House refuses to acknowledge" it.