CALIFORNIA KID. Dieser Artikel ist nicht verfügbar.CALIFORNIA KID

A surfer kid from Redondo Beach, California, Owen Hanson was still in his 20s when he found himself the leader of a multimillion-dollar criminal empire. What began as an attempt to fit in with the rich kids at the University of Southern California soon grew into gambling and loan sharking, which then opened the door to drug trafficking and money laundering. Hanson wasn’t just involved in this stuff—he excelled at it. Living the fast-paced lifestyle of the rich and famous, Hanson felt he was finally making his father proud, never mind the questionable ethics and obvious danger of it all. But with the cartel, a serious drug-abuse problem, and the pursuit of the FBI all threatening to overtake him, it wouldn't be long before his glamorous lifestyle caught up with him.

The California Kid follows Owen from his roots as a USC star athlete from a broken home, where his idolization of the rich and famous began, to his descent down a dangerous path where he would stop at nothing to earn the love and acceptance of his absent mother and the respect of his father. The story that follows is almost too wild to believe—but Owen bears the 21-year sentence to prove it.

Owen Hanson, from Redondo Beach, California, played football for the University of Southern California before he was busted for drug trafficking in 2015. Owen wasn’t just a drug kingpin; he was a criminal savant who ran his empire like a Fortune 500 company. Now, with a sentence of 21 years in federal prison, Owen is pursuing a master’s degree in business. 

Owen’s story has appeared in publications around the world. Today, he is passionate about telling his own side of events.

Alex Cody Foster is the award-winning author of the true crime memoir, The Man Who Hacked the World, parts of which were included in the #1 Netflix film in the world at the time, Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee. He is the founder of Ghostwriting University and lives in New York City.