Joe Exotic fears new husband will be kidnapped by cartel over big misunderstanding

has expressed concern over the safety of , worried he might be targeted for a kidnapping. The 62-year-old star, currently serving time for a murder-for-hire conviction involving , fears his spouse Jorge Marquez might fall into danger due to misconceptions about his wealth.

In a candid chat with 2DayFM's 'Jimmy + Nath Show', he admitted: "He is going to be deported. I don't want anything happening to him at the border, like the cartel kidnapping him because everybody thinks I am a millionaire."

While Joe was tight-lipped about certain aspects of his marital life, when probed about whether they'd consummated their union he firmly stated: "No... Absolutely not."

Prior to marrying, Joe voiced his hope that the marriage could protect his partner from deportation to Mexico and even expressed his readiness to move to South America if needed.

Speaking to RadarOnline.com, Joe revealed their deep commitment: "Whether it helps his immigration status or not, we love each other enough to get married. We even got tattooed matching wedding bands already on."

He also discussed the legal strategic benefits: "What it would do is, it would assure him, and it would show the court, that he has a little bit of financial stability to stay in America."

Optimistically concluding, Joe said: "It's gonna look better for his asylum case to be married. We're just hoping that the prison will allow us to get married and stay in the same prison."

He expressed his frustration to the media, stating that if he can't secure assistance from the government to "keep him here," then "I guess I'm going to Mexico."

After announcing their engagement in October last year, Joe couldn't help but gush about his fiancé, calling him "so amazing" and sharing regrets that he didn't "meet him long" earlier. Joe excitedly posted on his social media account, sharing with followers: "Meet Jorge Marquez he is 33. He is so amazing and is from Mexico."

Embarking on a new journey, Joe explained: "Now, the quest of getting married in prison and getting him asylum or we be leaving America when we both get out. Either way, I wish I would have met him long ago."

The one-time Tiger King sensation then verified the news of his engagement with Entertainment Weekly. During a heartfelt phone call from behind bars, he disclosed: "We filed our official papers for the marriage license from the prison yesterday, so we're just waiting for an approval.

"He has picked out December 12 as the date we're hoping to get this approved by."

Despite his tumultuous romantic history – finalising his divorce with Dillon Passage in January 2023 and enduring the tragic loss of Travis Maldonado in 2017 – the former exotic animal park operator remained optimistic that his relationship with Jorge would fare better. In an emotional statement, he confessed: "We love each other very much, spend every minute of the day together."

Reflecting on his life's ups and downs, Joe admitted: "I've been through some s*** in my days."

Putting past heartache and betrayal behind him, Joe declared: "I buried two husbands, the third one ran off with 2.6 million bucks from and left my a** here, but Jorge is a very amazing young man."

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