LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — One of the characters from the hit Netflix show "Tiger King" has been found liable for misappropriating funds.
That's according to new court documents obtained by ABC's Dan Abrams.
The opinion states the court found Tim Stark will be personally liable to misappropriated funds from his nonprofit organization, Wildlife in Need, which is located in Charlestown, Indiana.
Court documents state the nonprofit was started by Stark in 1999 who also served as its president. Documents state the Board of Directors rarely held formal meetings, didn't take minutes of meetings, and didn't prepare or review budgets or financial statements.
The document said Stark had a line of credit that was secured by improvements to the property, which the nonprofit didn't have any lease agreements in place for the property it was located at. The nonprofit also paid for property taxes and utility bills for the entire property including Stark's personal residence. Court documents state Wildlife in Need also routinely paid for Stark's personal credit card bills.
The opinion states that until 2014, the organization has an annual revenue less than $50,000. However, when the group started hosting a "Tiger Baby Playtime" program, revenue went up. For example in 2016 and 2017, there were making more than $1,000,000 a year.
They also added more animals. The court documents start in 2014, Wildlife in Need had 43 animals, which went up to 293 after the playtime programs were implemented. Officials claim Start told them he owns all the animals even though Wildlife in Need paid for them.
Investigators said that in 2019, Stark left Indiana to attempt to form a zoo in Oklahoma with Jeff Lowe and took multiple animals with him. Court documents state 15 to 20 of them died during the move. During this time, the court said Wildlife in Need paid for bulldozes, transportation equipment, and personal expenses and that Stark didn't get approval from the organization's board to do so.
The court said Stark had a "falling out" with Lowe and returned to Indiana in August 2019. In February 2020, the USDA revoked Star's animal exhibitor license due to more than 100 animal welfare violations. That same month, the Indiana Attorney General filed a complaint to remove Start from the organization and to return all misappropriated funds.
The court found that animals should be removed from the property. However, they found Stark in contempt when he tried to hide $100,000 worth of animals in a box truck with no food, water or ventilation. The animals were given to the Indianapolis Zoological Society to be cared for.
Court documents state Stark wasn't on the property during that seizure and had left Indiana. He was arrested in New York a month later. Wildlife in Need was dissolved although the organization's website said it's only temporary as of March 22, 2020. The group said they would provide updates on Facebook but that page has been removed.
In a statement sent to Channel 13, Animal Wellness Action said Stark should be held accountable.
"We applaud the court for upholding the ruling against Tim Stark and hope this signals to other violators and animal abusers that they are not above the law," Marty Irby, executive director, said. "The enactment of the Big Cat Public Safety Act in December was a major milestone for big cats in America and we're elated to see justice is finally being served. Stark and cohorts like Joe Exotic and Doc Antle have exploited countless tigers, lions, and other animals, as well as consumers for far too long and the court's decision puts another nail in the coffin of these abusers."
President Joe Biden signed the act, which prohibits the private possession of big cats and makes it illegal for exhibitors to allow direct contact with cubs.
Stark isn't the only "Tiger King" star in trouble with the law.
Jeff Lowe has been in trouble several times in Las Vegas. In 2018, he was convicted for selling photo ops with tiger cubs in Las Vega. In January 2021, a federal court in Oklahoma ruled he must give up all his big cat cubs and their mothers. Animal Wellness Action told Channel 13 at the time that "Lowe's serial acts of animal mistreatment have demonstrated that he's not fit to be an animal caretaker."
Last June, Doc Antle was indicted by the Justice Department on federal wildlife trafficking and money laundering crimes. According to the indictment, Antle is accused of making false records to transport animals including lemurs, cheetahs, and a chimpanzee. He's facing up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering charges and up to five years for wildlife trafficking.
As for Joe Exotic, he was sentenced to spend 21 years in prison after being convicted in a murder-for-hire plot involving animal sanctuary owner Carole Baskin.
