5 indicted on wildlife trafficking, money laundering charges.

• Position: Bhagavan Mahamayavi Antle, Andrew Jon Sawyer, Meredith Bybee, Charles Sammut, Jason Clay

A federal grand jury in Florence has returned a 10-count indictment alleging charges related to wildlife trafficking and money laundering against five people, according to a press release from the office of U.S. District Attorney Corey F. Ellis.

One is Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle, 62, of Myrtle Beach, a private zoo owner and operator who became nationally known in 2020 after appearances on the Netflix documentary series Tiger King. Antle owns and operates The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari, a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve in Myrtle Beach.

Others indicted are Andrew Jon Sawyer aka Omar Sawyer, 52, of Myrtle Beach; Meredith Bybee, aka Moksha Bybee, 51, of Myrtle Beach; Charles Sammut, 61, of Salinas, Calif.; and Jason Clay, 42, of Franklin, Texas, according to the release.

Sawyer and Bybee are Antle's employees and business associates. Sammut owns and operates Vision Quest Ranch, a for-profit corporation that housed captive species and sold tours and safari experiences to guests. Clay owns and operates of Franklin Drive Thru Safari, a for-profit corporation that also housed captive exotic species and sold tours and safaris.

The indictment alleges that at various times Antle, along with Bybee, Sammut and Clay, illegally trafficked wildlife in violation of federal law, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, and made false records regarding that wildlife. The animals included lemurs, cheetahs and a chimpanzee.

The indictment and a previously filed federal complaint in the case also allege that over the last...