SAN DIEGO, CA – A San Diego-based certified public accountant was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison for his role in an international drug trafficking, gambling and money laundering organization led by former University of Southern California football player Owen "O'Dog" Hanson.
Luke Fairfield, 40, pleaded guilty last year, admitting that his role in the "ODOG" enterprise included laundering money, aiding in the creation of shell companies to hide ODOG's criminal proceeds, and training money runners on methods and tactics to hide the organization's activities from law enforcement and banks.
On one occasion, Fairfield personally transferred proceeds of Hanson's Australian drug trafficking to the United States using an alias and fake identification, prosecutors said.
Fairfield also worked with Hanson to track the collection of debts from bookies and gamblers who owed the ODOG enterprise hundreds of thousands of dollars from illegal bookmaking, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Hanson operated ODOG in the United States, Central and South America and Australia from 2012 to 2016, trafficking in cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as ecstasy, court papers show. ODOG also operated a vast illegal gambling network focused on high-stakes wagers placed on sporting events, according to prosecutors.
"Money laundering is the grease that allows the wheels of transnational criminal organizations to turn," said John Brown, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Diego Field Office. "Today's sentencing of Fairfield sends a clear message that business professionals who facilitate the finances of these organizations not only risk losing their professional licenses but also face the prospect of time in prison."
Fairfield, who is free on bond, was ordered to surrender on Nov. 9. Because of his conviction, he is no longer licensed as a CPA.
Fairfield is the last of 22 defendants charged in the case to be sentenced.
Hanson was previously sentenced to 21 years behind bars.
By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock
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