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Paul Michael Malagerio, Unlawful Alien in Possession of Firearms, Texas 2023
A 65-year-old Canadian national has been sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for a gun crime, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah. Paul Michael Malagerio, who overstayed his visa to work as a keeper of exotic cats, was convicted of unlawful alien in possession of firearms after a federal jury deliberated for two days.
Malagerio was arrested in November 2020 at the Whitley Acres Exotic Ranch in Levelland, Texas, on an administrative warrant for visa overstay. Agents found an AR-15, a shotgun, and a 9 mm pistol inside his RV, as well as a mountain lion on the property.
During the trial, it was revealed that Malagerio’s unlawful presence in the country prevented him from possessing firearms. In jailhouse phone calls, Malagerio indicated that he knew he was in the United States illegally.
Malagerio also testified in court that he worked for James Garretson, the exotic cat enthusiast turned FBI informant featured in Netflix’s ‘Tiger King.’ In another jailhouse call, Malagerio claimed that Garretson had reported him to immigration authorities.
Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Game Wardens. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Redd and Jeffrey Haag prosecuted the case.
Malagerio’s sentencing comes after a federal jury convicted him of unlawful alien in possession of firearms. He was sentenced to 28 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
As Malagerio begins his prison sentence, questions remain about his involvement with exotic animals and his ties to the ‘Tiger King’ community.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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