Joseph Maldonado Passage, recognised by his moniker Joe Exotic, has reportedly turned to Donald Trump's alleged schoolmate for a pardon push. For those unversed, he is currently serving a 21-year sentence after being convicted on two counts of "m*rder-for-hire" against animal welfare activist, Carole Baskin. According to a press release by the US Attorney's Office in 2020, Joe had also been convicted of 8 counts of "falsifying wildlife records" and nine counts of "violating the Endangered Species Act. According to the Guardian, Joseph's initial sentence of 22 years was shortened to 21 years in 2021, following his cancer diagnosis. Since then, the media personality has reportedly been pushing for a pardon with POTUS Donald Trump. In a new attempt towards his pardon, Joseph confirmed that he has welcomed Peter Ticktin to his defence team, who is reportedly a former friend of Trump. In an Instagram post, Joe shared a photo of himself with a note in the image reading, "Be my voice" on November 18. He added in the caption,"Need you all to keep asking President Trump to grant me a Christmas miracle so I can go home and show you all who the real Joe Exotic is. Be my voice. Love you all." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJoe Exotic allegedly turns to POTUS Donald Trump's former military schoolmate for pardon push View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJoe Exotic has reportedly turned to POTUS Trump's alleged friend and legal attorney, Peter Ticktin. In a conversation with TMZ, Peter reportedly confirmed the news and noted,"The deck was stacked against my client who was presumed guilty from the start. This is another innocent man who should be set free."The outlet reported that Peter is set to begin the legal proceedings by Christmas. According to Joe Exotic's official website, Peter's entry into the defence team is being seen as a potential "turning point." In a press release, Joe's attorney, Roger Roots, noted,"He has lost his freedom, his health, his parents, and nearly everything he ever had. With Mr. Ticktin joining the team, we are hopeful that the full truth will finally come to light and that the justice system will correct what we believe is a tragic miscarriage of justice.”In another request posted on Instagram around a week ago, Joe reiterated the message and tagged POTUS. He wrote,"Please @realdonaldtrump give me the chance to live as a free man and get the medical care I desperately need. All I want is to spend my remaining time on this earth helping others and making the world a better place. I hope you can hear me."Read More: Who is Joe Exotic’s husband? What we know as the convicted Tiger King protagonist alleges spouse was deportedJoe Exotic is hoping to push his message for pardoning his sentence after bringing on board Peter Ticktin. POTUS Trump's standing on the case is currently unclear.