‘Tiger King’ Subject Arrested in Florida

Tiger King star James Garretson, who played a pivotal role is securing Joe Exotic’s conviction, was arrested in Florida this week. The businessman-turned-FBI informant was booked into a Key West jail on Monday, Dec. 16 for allegedly driving with a suspended driver’s license, according to an arrest report obtained by TMZ.

The arrest occurred Monday night in Marathon, Florida after officers who recognized Garretson from a previous encounter checked his license in a database and discovered it was suspended. Garretson was pulled over later that same night when officers again saw him driving around Marathon and allegedly handed police a Florida ID, but not a driver’s license.

Garretson, who had a prior conviction for driving with a suspended license, was asked to step out of the vehicle and placed in handcuffs, though he told TMZ that police failed to explain why he was being arrested at the time and did not do so until he was booked in a in Key West jail later that night. He added that one of the arresting officers told him, “I know you are. I’ve been watching you for a while,” when they pulled him over. Garretson also suggested his arrest could be related to his affiliation with Tiger King.

Garretson was a crucial player in Exotic’s conviction for his role in an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting rival big-cat sanctuary owner Carole Baskin as well as for violating federal wildlife laws. One of Exotic’s former associates who worked with him for 20 years, Garretson later became an FBI informant and agreed to record his conversations with Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, and his business partner, Jeff Lowe. At one point, he even introduced Exotic to an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman.

Garretson’s involvement in the Exotic case was featured in Netflix’s hit 2020 documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, during which he told the cameras, “I got involved because Joe was doing a lot of evil stuff with the animals, and they were selling tiger hides, and they were doing all kinds of stuff.” In a memorable scene, Garretson was shown riding a jet ski.

Responding to news of Garretson’s arrest, Exotic, who is currently serving a 21-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, said “karma is starting to work its way around.” On X, he went on to encourage the FBI to “”look at the evidence of sex trafficking, bank fraud and identity theft,” adding that his “attorney @JohnPhillips has all the evidence to put him in prison. And see where he admitted to perjury at my trial.”

Garretson has not further addressed his arrest at this time. The Tiger King star was booked for driving with a suspended driver’s license and released from jail after posting a $546 bond.