Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado, has proposed a prisoner swap between himself and former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, a supporter of President Donald Trump. In a letter to Colorado Governor Jared Polis, Maldonado suggested exchanging his federal prison sentence for Peters' state custody, potentially enabling a Trump pardon for Peters.
Maldonado is serving a 21-year sentence for 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two charges related to a murder-for-hire plot against rival Carole Baskin. He has served eight years and is now battling prostate and lung cancer. Peters was sentenced to nine years in 2024 for unauthorised access to election machines.
The letter, sent on Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Prisons letterhead, claims the DOJ is discriminating against Maldonado's LGBTQ identity and his marriage to a deported Mexican man. He argues that new evidence submitted to the Supreme Court shows his innocence and that witnesses committed perjury.
Maldonado described the proposal as the “craziest ask you will ever receive” and something “never done in American history.” He urged Polis to coordinate with Trump’s team to swap clemency, stating it would make Polis a “national hero.”
Trump has previously called for Peters' release and criticised Colorado officials for refusing to transfer her to federal custody. However, while US law allows state prisoners to be transferred federally, the federal government cannot compel a state to do so.
