An FBI agent once known as the “King of Sting” was laid to rest Wednesday. Joe Yablonsky, a man who was a household name in Las Vegas back in the early 80s, died on May 22. Funeral services were held in Florida for the 90-year-old.

When he lived in Las Vegas Yablonsky was both respected and reviled in because he initiated several public corruption investigations involving prominent locals. Yablonsky left Las Vegas many years ago to move to Florida and had been in failing health for the last 18 months of his life.

The investigations he oversaw not only pummeled the mob, but they also shook the town to its foundation and ended the careers of several public officials.

Yablonsky spent 32 years with the FBI, including three years, 1980-1983, as a special agent in charge of the Las Vegas office. During that tumultuous time, FBI and IRS agents targeted mafia infiltration of Las Vegas casinos, as well as public corruption. One undercover sting dubbed Operation Yobo, saw five public officials, including two county commissions convicted for taking bribes.

Another investigation led to the downfall of federal judge Harry Claiborne for income tax evasion.

In 2002, 8 News NOW produced a special about the Yablonsky years.