Joe Exotic Just Received An Updated Prison Sentence

While March 2020 might have given Joe "Exotic" Maldonado-Passage, star of the Netflix hit series "Tiger King," the oft-cursed gift of celebrity, it seems both 2021 and 2022 haven't done him any favors. Exotic, who in April 2020 was handed a 22-year prison sentence for his murder-for-hire plot against his rival, fellow "Tiger King" subject Carole Baskin, has remained in prison despite his reality star status and best efforts. Possibly capitalizing on his fame in hopes that it could aid him in getting out of prison, Exotic has continued to make headlines protesting his innocence. (Previous attempts have included an appeal for a pardon by ex-President Donald Trump — which ultimately didn't pan out — and various GoFundMe campaigns to pay off his legal fees.)

But now, according to a January 28 report from the New York Post, it seems that, in a way, some of Exotic's hard work behind bars paid off. Case in point: A federal judge purportedly ruled in favor of shortening Exotic's lengthy sentence. Unfortunately for Exotic, however, it seems this development, like his rise to fame, perhaps isn't what he had hoped.

According to the Associated Press, Joe Exotic's new allocated prison term is technically less of a reduction and more of a resentencing. As the outlet explained, the court hearing was the result of a ruling made by a federal appeals court last year, which concluded that Exotic's sentence should be shortened due to an earlier error. Per The Hill, the adjudication surmised the 22-year mark was slightly over the acceptable range in congruence with the nature of his conviction.

Before his new sentence was read aloud in court, Carole Baskin — the woman who had been the target of his murder-for-hire plot — appeared in court for a victim's impact statement, one which urged the judge to take her safety and life into account. She relayed to the judge that despite Exotic's imprisonment, she had received "vile, abusive and threatening communications" from Exotic, which have done little to convince her Exotic would not pose a danger to her if freed, per AP.

Ultimately, it looks like Baskin won't have to worry about a substantially earlier release for Exotic, with the judge resentencing him to 21 years — only one year less than his original sentence. Despite this, Exotic's defense team promised they are "going to continue our post-conviction litigation" in order to fight for his release, as AP noted.