Joe Exotic’s Husband Shipped to Mexico After Prison Bid
Another chapter in the reality-TV prison saga: Joe Exotic’s husband was released from federal custody and promptly deported to Mexico. The Bureau of Prisons confirms he walked out of Pensacola’s Federal Prison Camp on May 15, 2025, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records show an immediate transfer to a Detention Enforcement Center. It turns out serving time for wildlife trafficking doesn’t earn you a loyalty visa.
Public court documents reveal that Joe Exotic’s spouse, identified as Fernando “Nando” Alvarez, pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy charges related to smuggling exotic cats across state lines. According to the Department of Justice, Alvarez faced up to five years behind bars but served roughly half his sentence before the ICE hold was placed on him in February 2025. The dry truth? Commit federal wildlife crimes, and you might end up on United Airlines—one way, no return ticket.
“Upon completion of the criminal sentence, ICE took custody for removal proceedings,” an agency spokesperson told People Magazine. TMZ first reported the story on May 18, 2025, and official BOP inmate locater data confirms Alvarez’s release date. Court filings from the Northern District of Oklahoma show the final judgment was entered March 2022, with sentencing guidelines factoring in his non-citizen status from the get-go. In other words, Alvarez’s romantic alliance with the Tiger King didn’t come with immigration perks.
Roast break: if you’re hunting for a spouse, maybe check their passport first—especially if your life plan involves becoming a Netflix sensation and skirt-chasing confiscated big cats. After all, deportation makes for better drama than any scripted reunion.
Meanwhile, Joe Exotic, whose federal identity is “Joseph Maldonado-Passage,” has stayed mum on social media beyond a brief Instagram Story featuring a stylized heart and the tagline “Hasta la vista, baby.” His legal team, led by attorney Charles “Chuck” Mercer, is reportedly exploring options to challenge the removal order, given some questionable timing on the ICE notice. But federal removal orders are notoriously tough to overturn, particularly when wildlife crimes and immigration law collide.
Sources close to the Tiger King realm say Joe is “frustrated but focused” on appealing his own 22-year sentence rather than organizing care packages for his husband in Tijuana. In true deadpan fashion, he added on his private Telegram channel, “Relationships are complicated—especially when one half ends up on a deportation list.” Let’s face it, romantic entanglements with a felon might need a better exit strategy than a deportation van.
Tune in next time for more bad decisions, questionable life choices, and the kind of reality-show drama that makes you reconsider online dating.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, People Magazine, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
