Peter Ticktin Joins Joe Exotic's Legal Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Peter Ticktin Prominent Attorney and Long Time Friend of President Donald J. Trump Joins Joe Exotic’s Legal Team as New Push for Supreme Court Review and Presidential Clemency Begins

Nationally known attorney Peter Ticktin, a prominent legal advocate and long-time friend of President Donald J. Trump, has officially joined the defense team of Joe Exotic (Joseph Maldonado-Passage), the former zoo owner made internationally famous by the Tiger King docuseries.

Ticktin joins attorney Roger Roots as the legal team prepares filings before the United States Supreme Court and a petition for presidential clemency to President Trump and U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin.

Joe Exotic has spent nearly eight years in federal prison following his conviction in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. According to his attorneys, Exotic’s attempts to seek relief through the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals have been hindered by what they allege was judicial bias and the refusal to grant a new trial or an evidentiary hearing—even after multiple government witnesses reportedly came forward to admit to perjury and fabrication of evidence. 

One of those witnesses, Allen Glover- portrayed by prosecutors as the government’s “hitman”—has since publicly stated he lied under oath. He has also shown members of the defense team the location of a hidden weapon at the zoo, which he claims was part of an early plot involving Jeff Lowe to harm Joe Exotic. Defense attorney John M. Phillips previously confirmed that Glover admitted these statements on video and signed affidavits.

Since the release of Tiger King 2 in 2022, every key government witness has reportedly turned over personal cell phones to the defense team, providing what attorneys describe as over 700 recordings, videos, and text messages. According to Roots and Ticktin, those materials appear to prove that federal agents and an Assistant U.S. Attorney were aware that witnesses were lying during both grand jury proceedings and the trial. The defense further alleges that exculpatory evidence was knowingly withheld.

The defense team also claims that some of the most troubling content recovered involves allegations that government agents ignored or concealed unrelated criminal conduct—such as sexual assault, sex trafficking, bank fraud, and identity theft—by witnesses in exchange for their cooperation. Video statements, recordings, and evidence referenced by the attorneys are available at: joeexoticofficial.com/pages/joeexotictigerkinginnocent

In addition to the expanded legal team, Angela McArdle the former Chair of the Libertarian Party and a nationally recognized advocate for the wrongfully incarcerated, has stepped in to help raise the legal funds necessary to support this new phase of Joe Exotic’s defense. McArdle is leading a nationwide fundraising effort to ensure Attorney Peter Ticktin has the resources required to pursue Supreme Court review and advance the clemency petition to secure freedom for Joe Exotic. Supporters can contribute to the official defense fund at: https://www.givesendgo.com/pardonjoeexotic

Ticktin’s entry into the case marks what Exotic’s team believes will be a turning point as they prepare to place the newly recovered evidence before the highest court in the country. The team also intends to highlight unanswered questions, including why no perjury charges were brought after witnesses publicly recanted on national television, and why no conspiracy-to-commit-murder charges were pursued given the witnesses’ own recorded descriptions of plans targeting Exotic—who at the time was a gubernatorial candidate in Oklahoma.

“Joe Exotic has spent nearly eight years in federal prison for crimes he has consistently said he did not commit,” said attorney Roger Roots. “He has lost his freedom, his health, his parents, and nearly everything he ever had. With Mr. Ticktin joining the team, we are hopeful that the full truth will finally come to light and that the justice system will correct what we believe is a tragic miscarriage of justice.”

Exotic, who is currently battling cancer and an autoimmune illness while incarcerated, expressed renewed hope at Ticktin’s involvement. “Maybe now the corruption in my case will finally be exposed and corrected,” he said through his attorneys. “This is our chance to get the world’s attention, get answers, and let me finally return to the free world.”