---
category: Private Organization
location: Dallas, Texas, USA
summary: The Odyssey Foundation was the legal front entity for John David Norman's
  Odyssey Network trafficking operation, operating from Dallas, Texas.
tags:
- Organization
- Front_Organization
- Chicago
- Illinois
- 1970s
- Odyssey_Network
---

The Odyssey Foundation was the legal front entity for [John David Norman](/people/john-david-norman/)'s [Odyssey Network](/organizations/odyssey-network/) trafficking operation, operating from Dallas, Texas. The foundation was connected to Educational Foundation for Youth in Illinois, which derived tax-exempt status as a subsidiary of offshore companies. Through these front organizations, Norman operated a nationwide system of "sponsors" who provided housing for boys in exchange for sexual access, creating an interlocking web spanning multiple states. The Odyssey Foundation was linked to [Francis Shelden](/people/francis-shelden/)'s [North Fox Island](/places/north-fox-island/) operation through shared sponsors and the [Hermes](/organizations/hermes/) newsletter.[^1]

### Connection to The Finders

When the two [Finders](/organizations/the-finders/) members arrested in Tallahassee, Florida in February 1987 were found transporting six malnourished children, an address book in their possession contained names that appeared in FBI Dallas field office file 145-0 relating to the Odyssey Foundation's child prostitution investigation. This address-book overlap, documented in FBI records cited in secondary sources and referenced in the FBI Vault's November 2019 Finders document release, represents the primary documented link between the two operations. No direct organizational relationship or personal contact between Norman and [The Finders](/organizations/the-finders/)' leadership has been established in accessible primary sources.[^1]

[^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). *Eye of the Chickenhawk*. United States: Thehotstar.