New season of Smoke Screen podcast uncovers multi-million dollar puppy laundering scheme

Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin, season four of the hit investigative podcast series that examines an apparent scheme to illegally sell puppy mill dogs, also known as puppy laundering, has been launched.

Hosted by investigative journalist Alex Schuman, Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin will expose one of the masterminds running and controlling the puppy-selling industry.

The series shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is the target of four lawsuits and unravels the complex scheme that Noethe and others are accused of running for years to hide puppies’ true origins from pet owners and government regulators.

Over seven-episodes, the podcast will also highlight the first legal case accusing someone of laundering puppies and showcase the growing concern among consumers, animal rights activists, and law enforcement that pet owners are being tricked into buying mistreated animals.

“Puppy Kingpin unravels a complex scheme to go around the growing number of laws designed to stop animal cruelty,” said host Alex Schuman. “This podcast will hopefully empower consumers to avoid the layers of deception and misdirection they can face when they want to bring home a healthy puppy. Our investigation became about so much more than dogs, but at the heart of it is the pets we love.”

Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin, from production company Neon Hum, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment’s Global Podcast Division is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and wherever you listen to podcasts.