CHARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, whose meteoric rise through the world of big cats was vaulted into fame through a 2021 Netflix docuseries, is headed to federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges.

Antle, 65, was handed a sentence of 12 months and one day on Tuesday in U.S. District Court’s Charleston division by Judge Joseph Lawson III. His sentencing comes nearly two years after he admitted to violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including federally protected animal species.

Antle was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence and fined $55,000.

A representative for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement immediately after Antle was sentenced, vowing to shut down Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari.

“Antle will finally learn how it feels to be stripped of freedom, locked in a cage, and have every moment of every day controlled,” said Brittany Peet, the PETA Foundation general counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement. “But unlike Antle, the animals he sentenced to life at his sleazy roadside zoo have committed no crimes, and PETA will work to shut down Myrtle Beach Safari and ensure that the exploited big cats, chimpanzees, and other endangered animals still imprisoned there are released to reputable facilities where they will get the care they so desperately need and deserve.”

A California native, Antle founded Myrtle Beach Safari in 1982, eventually growing it into a 50-acre wildlife preserve that offers safari-like tours at nearly $400 a person. Antle is also the director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.

This is a developing story. Count on News13 for updates.