St. Louis’ Crime Chime – CAGED AND STRIPPED: Ex-NFL Player Leshon Johnson Gets 5 Years for Massive 190-Dog Fighting Pit, Duong Forfeits $1.5M in Smuggled Fight Drugs, and Con Man Fioravanti Handed 80 Months for Asbestos Scam

From black-market pesticide pipelines funneled through California border ports to a record-breaking 190-dog fighting breeding compound in Oklahoma and a reckless $26 million asbestos cleanup in suburban Chicago, federal judges are dropping the hammer. Here is how investigative task forces dismantled three brazen operations that put toxic greed ahead of human safety and animal welfare.

Posted by St. Louis Crime Chime
Posted on
Crime Chime Logo Small
“To keep St. Louis safe and sound, We spread the news, we’re city-bound. With facts and truth, we light the way, For safer streets, both night and day.”		St. Louis’ Crime Chime – Weekly Whirlwind of Woes: 

Overview: Federal prosecutors have secured heavy prison terms and multi-million-dollar financial penalties against a ring of high-profile environmental and wildlife offenders across three states. In Texas, Thao Duong received three months in prison and forfeited over $1.5 million for running an illegal online veterinary drug and toxic bee-killing pesticide smuggling scheme supplied from Mexico. In Oklahoma, former NFL player Leshon Johnson was handed 60 months behind bars for operating a 190-dog fighting breeding network, while Illinois contractor Carl Fioravanti was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for pocketing nearly $1.8 million through fabricated asbestos safety clearances that left a suburban Chicago hospital site contaminated.
Angry Dog
Image credit: Omar Abozeid for Unsplash

Unmasking the Illicit Networks That Exploited Animals, Land, and Public Health

The Black Market Pipeline: Fight Dogs, Smuggled Poisons, and Asbestos Dust

The Calexico Drug Smuggle

From Calexico’s border port up into Texas mail,

Smuggled unapproved narcotics hit a lucrative retail.

Duong moved millions for the rooster pens, uncertified and raw,

While her husband boxed the poisons out to circumvent the law.

Vials laced with amitraz to wipe the bees right from the hive,

Now stripped of cash and liberty to keep the trade alive.

Bloodlines in the Oklahoma Kennels

Out in Oklahoma dirt, the fighting yards were laid,

Where Johnson bred pit bull stock to feed a violent trade.

One hundred ninety chained-up hounds seized straight into the pound,

The biggest federal kennel bust the territory found.

Five years in a federal pen and thirty grand to pay,

Puts an end to champion bloodlines built to tear the flesh away.

The Suburban Chicago Asbestos Con

Fioravanti signed the clearance and declared the campus pure,

Pocketing two million cash while leaving toxins unsecure.

Waukegan demolition walls were thick with lethal dust,

While he buried corporate profits under tax evasion lust.

Twenty-six million on the cleanup bill to scrub the site anew,

Now eighty months of prison time is finally coming due.

From heartbreaking losses to shocking crimes, these stories paint a sobering picture of the challenges facing our communities. Let’s hope for justice, healing, and a safer tomorrow.

St. Louis Crime Chme Banner
St. Louis Crime Noir: Investigating the city’s weekly crime trends.

St. Louis Crime Chime: Partnering for a Safer Community

The St. Louis Crime Chime is evolving into a mission-driven organization dedicated to partnering with local public safety agencies and community-focused media, such as The Evening Whirl and Real STL News, to shine a light on social and violence-related issues. Our goal is to provide resources that support both victims and perpetrators of traumatic events, fostering healing and prevention within our community.

Through its St. Louis Crime Chime section. This essential platform empowers residents by highlighting emerging threats and safety concerns, encouraging vigilance and informed decision-making. Beyond reporting, it holds individuals and institutions accountable by keeping arrests and legal proceedings in the public eye, promoting transparency and urging neighbors to protect and support one another.

While the headlines often confront difficult truths, they also serve as a rallying cry for action. By staying informed through reliable sources and official police data, residents can move beyond fear and take an active role in prevention and community-building efforts. Together, we can transform awareness into meaningful change, helping St. Louis write a safer, more hopeful chapter for all.

What You Can Do

Stay tuned, stay safe, and remember: “If it’s crime you seek, we’ve got the streak.

#EPA #EnvironmentalJustice #FederalCrackdown

Related Articles