Puppy Kingpin

From The Binge, ⁠Crime Scene⁠ plunges you into stories you can’t stop thinking about—revisiting cases that deserve a second look. Join Jonathan Hirsch (My Fugitive Dad, Dear Franklin Jones) and investigative reporter Cooper Moll as they crack open overlooked details, challenge the official narrative, and uncover what others missed. Each episode delivers the depth of a true crime mini-series in a s...

Spectacle: True Crime host, Mariah Smith, sits down with Alex Schuman to chat all things about the newest season of Smoke Screen, Puppy Kingpin. She puts host Alex Schuman in the hot seat and they dig into true crime – how we report these stories, why we’re so fascinated with them and what this fascination says about us. Mariah gets juicy behind-the-scenes bits from Alex about reporting Smoke Scre...

Jolyn Noethe faces a class action lawsuit that accuses her of a federal crime and might cost her up to 5 million. The puppy pipeline isn’t going to change overnight, but Alex meets with a breeder who has nothing to hide and hears about a movement among breeders to go above and beyond USDA requirements. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on The Binge on Apple Podcas...

The Iowa AG’s lawsuit against Jolyn comes to a conclusion as she faces challenges from multiple sides. Alex looks more closely at the USDA as a growing number of breeders and animal rights activists think a USDA license doesn’t mean much anymore. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on The Binge on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-free. Your subscription also...

Alex heads to Britt, Iowa where Jolyn Noethe grew up and her for-profit enterprise, J.A.K.’s Puppies, is headquartered. He discovers that a family dispute is part of the reason she started her own brokering business. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on The Binge on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-free. Your subscription also unlocks the entire network of...

Multiple lawsuits now accuse Jolyn Noethe of creating rescues to sell commercially-bred puppies where they’ve been outlawed. Alex learns how the scheme reaches beyond the Midwest and meets Lizette Chanock. She claims her rescue’s name is being used to sell unhealthy puppies. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on The Binge on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-...

Authorities learn of unusual “rescue puppies” starting to turn up in Chicago and begin an investigation. Soon, they are on the trail of the secretive businesswoman responsible. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on The Binge on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-free. Your subscription also unlocks the entire network of podcasts on The Binge with a brand new s...

Alex sets out to learn more about Jolyn Noethe, but ends up getting an inside look at a puppy mill and how they operate legally. We’ll hear audio of the day authorities descended on the farm of Barbara Kavars, an Iowan breeder who got in way over her head. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-free. Your subscription also unl...

When Mindi Callison finds out a local pet shop might be selling puppies from a puppy mill, she takes action. Soon, she’s tracking dogs being transported from state to state and stumbles onto a company that hides the source of puppies. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes ad-free. Your subscription also unlocks the entire networ...

Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies like drug money. Over the course of 7 episodes, investigative reporter and host Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry brin...