The 'Tiger King' star, who is currently serving a 22-year sentence for a number of offenses, has previously reached out to the White House and wrote to Kim Kardashian to get the pardon.

• Dec 22, 2020

AceShowbiz - "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic has filed suit against federal officials at America's Department of Justice in a desperate bid to score a pardon from outgoing President Donald Trump.

The former zoo keeper, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22-year sentence for a number of offences, including a murder-for-hire plot against his big cat sanctuary rival Carole Baskin.

However, his attorneys have been hopeful of securing Exotic's early release by reaching out to the White House and even writing to criminal justice reform activist Kim Kardashian to help promote their case.

"I am writing you this letter, not as Joe Exotic, but as the person Joseph Maldonado-Passage, asking you to please help me by just taking 10 min. out of your life and placing a call to President Trump to look at my 257 page pardon, with all the evidence I'm innocent, and ask him to sign my pardon," so he wrote to the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star in a letter which was published by Entertainment Tonight. "I have lost 57 years of work, my zoo, my animals, my mother has died, my dad is dying, and I've been taken away from my husband, who I love dearly."

In early December, Exotic's legal eagle Eric Love claimed they were "very, very close" to achieving their goal, even though his petition seeking a pardon was rejected by Department of Justice authorities in September.

Now they have stepped up their efforts by taking the Acting Pardon Attorney, Rosalind Sargent-Burns, to court, insisting the rejection was not valid because she did not present Exotic's official request to Trump.

In the court filing, Exotic demands his application be put directly in front of Trump so he can "exercise his Constitutional discretion in determining whether to grant or deny application petition".

Representatives for the Department of Justice have yet to comment on the matter.