Joe Exotic pleads for pardon in letter to Donald Trump: 'Be my hero please’

Joseph Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years in prison in January

Joe Exotic, the subject of Netflix’s Tiger King, has asked Donald Trump for a pardon in a letter, in which he pleads with the president to “be my hero”.

Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced in January this year to 22 years in prison. A jury convicted him of 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.

According to a letter shared on Wednesday by CBS News, Maldonado-Passage urges the president to “grant me a miracle” by way of a pardon.

“If I have ever looked up to anyone it would be you,” the missive begins. “Not because I need you to save my life but because you stand for what you believe no matter what anyone thinks.”

The letter states that Maldonado-Passage, who briefly ran for president in 2016 – the same year as Trump – ended up voting for the current president.

“I grew up having faith in our system until I became trapped in it, I see what they do to you and can’t believe it,” the missive adds.

It ends with the following plea: “Allow me to make you proud, to make America proud, to make the world proud. Be my hero please.”

When previously asked about the case, Trump has said he’d be willing to take a look into it. However, the president also stated that he knew “nothing” about the situation at the time.