The actor Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, known for his role in Tiger King, has been charged with laundering more than $500,000, believed to be the proceeds of a plot to transport immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States.

Monday's federal court proceeding in Florence, South Carolina, revealed the charges.

Federal prosecutors allege that Antle and Jon Sawyer, one of Antle's workers at Myrtle Beach Safari, laundered $505,000 (£402,990) over four months by issuing checks from businesses they controlled.

Supposedly, the pair received a 15 percent commission on the funds that came through their hands.

According to authorities, the cheques allegedly claimed to be paid for construction work at Myrtle Beach Safari, but their true purpose was to prove that the beneficiaries had legal income.

According to the accusation made public by the court, Antle intended to conceal the cash he obtained by exaggerating the number of visitors to his 50-acre tropical wildlife reserve.

According to authorities, he had previously utilized large cash transactions to purchase animals for which he could not use checks.

If convicted, Antle and Sawyer risk a maximum of 20 years in federal prison, according to authorities.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is a Netflix documentary miniseries premiering in 2020 that features tiger breeders and private zoo operators from the United States.

The series centered on Oklahoma zookeeper Joe Exotic, convicted of animal cruelty and a plan to murder rival, Carole Baskin.

Animal rights activists also accused Antle of mistreating lions and other wildlife, and he was charged with animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in Virginia in 2020.

Antle is separately charged with two counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife, thirteen counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges related to the trafficking of lion cubs.

The same accusations are slated to go to trial in July in Virginia.

US Department of Agriculture punished the 62-year-old in 1989 for abandoning deer and peacocks in his Virginia menagerie.