Joe Exotic’s attorney claims the star unknowingly made him use Netflix royalties to buy drugs
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Joe Exotic’s former attorney has claimed that the star unknowingly let him use Netflix royalties to buy drugs in a prison deal.
Attorney Francisco Hernandez’s law firm said in a 147-page court that Joseph Maldonado-Passage, 59, had ordered him to “make disguised payments for drug transactions in prison.”
“Indeed, Mr. Maldonado-Passage is alleged to have lied to Mr. Hernandez, including mentioning the payments as expenses for tiger food,” court documents obtained by the court said. The sunsaid.
‘Mr. Hernandez did not learn of the true nature of these payments until September 2021, when Mr. Maldonado-Passage was caught in prison with a burner phone and admitted the practice to Mr. Hernandez.”
Insiders said Maldonado-Passage ran a drug scam at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth by sending disguised payments to criminals, who would then smuggle the drugs into the facilities.
Attorney Francisco Hernandez’s law firm admitted in a damning 147-page court file that Joe Exotic, legally named Joseph Maldonado-Passage, 59, had ordered Hernandez to “make disguised payments for drug dealings in prison.”
Insiders said Maldonado-Passage ran a drug scam at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth by sending disguised payments to criminals, who would then smuggle the drugs into the facilities, according to The Sun.
Hernandez said in the court document that he had email proof of the Tiger King star “instructing Mr. Hernandez to use money” for drugs.
Maldonado-Passage has previously tried to get Hernandez off the field.
It is unclear how much the tiger conductor made from the hit Netflix show.
In June, Maldonado-Passage made another stir after he showed on Instagram in a now-deleted post that his love had decided to end his romance with him after John Graham was released from federal prison in Texas.
Maldonado-Passage had recently broken up with his prison friend John Graham. John and Maldonado-Passage fell in love after they met in February 2021 while they were both serving prison terms at FMC Forth Worth, Texas
But Maldonado-Passage had no ill feelings and revealed that he had decided to make amends with his ex, Seth Posey.
Graham and Maldonado-Passage fell in love after they met in February 2021 while they were both serving prison terms at FMC Forth Worth, Texas.
But Maldonado-Passage had no ill feelings, revealing that he had decided to make amends with his ex, Seth Posey, and said he had always stood by him.
Maldonado-Passage first revealed he was dating Seth during an interview in Tiger King 2, but they broke up in November before getting back together.
He described his then-lover as a “drop f**king dead gorgeous” man who lived in Arkansas.
Maldonado-Passage added at the time; “I’ve never met Seth, but we talk 15 times a day and we have a pretty strong bond.”
It’s a turning point for Maldonado-Passage, who was busy planning a wedding with Graham.
In April, he ordered $11,500 custom all-white tuxedos for himself and Graham for their prison wedding.
According to TMZhe hired Odain Watson of the Odaingerous brand to design the tuxedos, which were to be made by hand in Italy.
The media outlet reported that each tuxedo will have a custom tiger print silk lining.
The process of making the tuxedos would take about four to six weeks.
But since Odain could not personally take the dimensions of the imprisoned television personality, he used a model of similar weight and height.
The news came after another of Joe Exotic’s exes, Dillon Passage, filed for a prenup in May in his ongoing divorce from Maldonado-Passage.
However, a lawyer for the Tiger King personality said she believed it was filed under fraudulent circumstances.
Exotic’s attorney, Autumn Blackledge, told TMZ that the zookeeper never signed an official document to the agreement, separating the assets that each party contributed before and after the marriage.
Blackledge told the outlet she believes Passage filed the prenuptial agreement in an effort to extend divorce proceedings to take advantage of his past relationship with Exotic, who filed for the split in March.
Blackledge said Passage sold many of Exotic’s possessions during his captivity and has yet to visit Exotic while in custody.
Blackledge said Passage has benefited more than $1 million from Tiger King after its 2020 debut and the fame it gained.
Maldonado-Passage is currently in prison, serving a 21-year reduced sentence after being convicted of hiring two different men to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin.