“I was surprised he didn’t want to do it himself,” Baskin told local outlet News 9, of the alleged homicidal scheme.

According to the DOJ, Exotic gave an unidentified person $3,000 in November 2017 to murder his target, agreeing to pay the hit-person more when the deed was done. Prosecutors also allege that in 2016, Exotic repeatedly asked a second person to find him someone who could carry out the murder. That second person connected Exotic with an undercover FBI agent, who the DOJ alleges met with him to talk about the details of the plot.

Baskin and Exotic have had a contentious relationship for years. Baskin has repeatedly accused him of mistreating animals and endangering visitors during his stint as operator of the zoo in Wynnewood.

He, in turn, repeatedly hit back at Baskin, accusing her of of mistreating animals at Big Cat Rescue and calling her a hypocrite.

Under Joe Exotic’s Leadership, the Wynnewood zoo also drew the ire of animal advocacy groups like the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It was also the subject of multiple Department of Agriculture investigations.

Baskin sued Exotic in 2011, claiming trademark infringement after he began displaying animals using the name “Big Cat Rescue Entertainment,” the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported at the time. A judge ultimately ordered Exotic to pay Baskin $1 million, according to the Tampa Bay Times.