John had already been busted for cocaine possession in the 80s, but in 1997 (when pot was still illegal) he was arrested for trying to smuggle about 1,000 pounds of marijuana across state lines. He conspired with a couple other guys to use his horse trailer, hiding the pot under the floorboards. He spent about 5 years in prison. I heard other stories about him transporting drugs in his horse van, including that he had actually concealed the drugs inside a few of the horses. It was a USEF judge who told me this at a show, but I never read concrete evidence of this, so I don’t know if it was true or just a rumor.
Around 2005, I had hauled one of our young WBs up to the community riding arena to hack around. This old beater car drives up and the two guys inside start watching me. It was… creepy. When I went to load up the horse, the car door opens and it’s John Lipari, looking bedraggled and unkempt. Unsolicited, he tells me how he’s reformed, how he got in with the wrong people and has changed his ways and now wants to get back into horses blahblahblah. I didn’t say much. Just loaded up and drove home.
Short time later, I see him clean shaven in town, wearing boots and breeches. Find out he’s sniffing around at the little barns in town that give English lessons. He’s offering his expertise in the form of jumping lessons. Next I hear he’s helping people find hunter/jumpers cheaply. Then he settles in with a couple of these entry-level trainers, as a sort of adviser in their lessons and finding modestly priced, barely broke horses (mostly TBs) for their clients.
Whenever I cautioned anyone about Lipari’s past, I was told, “Oh, but he’s changed.” Or, “He has so much experience!” But mostly it was, “He has a knack for finding these really nice, cheap prospects.” 
You know that saying, “Water finds its own level”? If someone sidled up to John in his later years, I figured it was a testament to their character. And not a good one.
