Assistant U. S. Attorneys Benjamin Katz (619) 546-9604, Andrew Young (619) 546-7981 and Mark W. Pletcher (619) 546-9714
SAN DIEGO - Jack Rissell was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role as an enforcer in the gambling organization run by former USC football player Owen Hanson.
Rissell entered a guilty plea to Hobbs Act extortion on Dec. 15, 2016. According to the plea agreement, Owen Hanson hired to travel from California to Minnesota to collect a gambling debt from an individual living in Minneapolis. The agreement between and Hanson included a “contact fee" - a premium or bonus for assaulting the victim. Once located the victim at his Minneapolis apartment, he carried out this assault by striking the victim in the face and demanding that the victim repay the gambling debt he owed to Hanson. During the confrontation, the victim’s son was present in the apartment. In a subsequent email to Hanson, described the attack saying, “he went down like a bag of potatoes."
Before sentencing Rissell to 24 months imprisonment, Judge Hayes described the premium payment as “cold blooded" and called Rissell’s involvement with Hanson as “egregious conduct" that left the victim in terror.
In total, 21 of 22 defendants charged in relation to Hanson’s enterprise have entered guilty pleas. The remaining defendant, Khalid Petras, is set for trial on Aug. 29, 2017. He is accused of money laundering and running an illegal gambling business. The charges against this defendant are merely accusations, and he is considered innocent until proven guilty.
The case arose out of a joint investigation by FBI and the New South Wales (Australia) Police Force in conjunction with the New South Wales Crime Commission. Hanson was initially indicted and arrested on September 9, 2015, after arranging the delivery of five kilograms of cocaine and five kilograms of methamphetamine.
DEFENDANT Case Number: 15CR2310-WQH
Jack Rissell Age: 51
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Hobbs Act Extortion, 18 U.S.C. § 1951
Maximum penalty: 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, 3 years’ supervised release.
AGENCIES
Federal Bureau of Investigation - San Diego Field Office
Internal Revenue Service - San Diego
Australian Crime Commission
New South Wales Police Force
New South Wales Crime Commission
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
