Proving that prison life is far from great, Joe Exotic recently claimed that he was placed in quarantine due to a scabies infection.
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While speaking to TMZ, the Tiger King star, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado, revealed that he was among the 300 FMC Fort Worth that was quarantined for scabies. He ended up being among the 140 inmates with confirmed cases.
The CDC reports that scabies are an infestation of the skin by a human itch mite. It causes intense itching and “pimple-like” skin rashes. It is commonly spread by direct, prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has scabies.
The scabies rash can be found in between fingers, in the skin folds of the wrist, elbow, knee, or armpit, and on the genitalia, nipples, waist, buttocks, and shoulder blades.
Prisons and jails are notably among the most common places where a scabies outbreak can occur. Other places are nursing homes, extended care facilities, and childcare facilities.
A rep for the Federal Bureau of Prison confirmed there was a scabies outbreak as well. “A Scabies outbreak has been identified in one housing unit at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas. Out of an abundance of caution, the housing unit has been placed on modified operations status and social visitation has been temporarily suspended.”
The rep then added, “FMC Fort Worth is taking the necessary precautions to protect employees, incarcerated individuals, and the community from the possibility of being exposed to this outbreak.”
Joe Exotic Reveals Other Issues Within the Prison
As he spoke about the infection, Joe Exotic stated that one of the prison inmates was infected with scabies for more than seven months. While addressing the issue, the inmate was allegedly told to purchase over-the-counter from the prison’s commissary.
Exotic then shared that there is not enough medication at the prison to treat those infected by the scabies outbreak.
Along with the scabies situation, Exotic shared that rats also infest the prison living quarters. Some inmates even complained about the creatures climbing into their beds at night.
Joe Exotic is currently serving his 22-year prison sentence in Fort Worth. He was sentenced for his role in a 2017 murder-for-hire scheme to kill his arch nemesis Carole Baskin in Tampa. The duo’s feud was documented in the Netflix series Tiger King.
During his time in prison, Joe Exotic has attempted to run for president. He ran in 2020 but quickly ended up suspending the campaign. In 2022, he expressed interest in running for president in 2024. He also wanted social media star Andrew Tate to be his running mate.
Originally ran as the Libertarian Party nominee, Joe Exotic decided in 2023 that he would run as a Democrat. However, in Aug. 2024, he suspected his presidential campaign and endorsed republican nominee, Donald Trump.