Justice Reform Fraud: Nonprofit CEO Busted as Crack Dealer

The so-called “justice reform” leader in Massachusetts has been unmasked as nothing more than a drug dealer hiding behind a nonprofit.

Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Javan Tooley, founder and CEO of the legal nonprofit Adapt & Evolve—an organization supposedly dedicated to helping people expunge criminal records—was really using his position as cover to push crack cocaine and exploit vulnerable women.

According to the Justice Department, Tooley distributed 100 grams of crack in Dorchester on September 10, and he didn’t even care that a small child was sitting in the back seat of his car while he carried out the deal. Two weeks later, on September 23, he tried to move even more product near Roxbury District Court. That’s when federal agents swooped in, catching him with 160 grams of crack cocaine.

But the drugs are just part of the story. Prosecutors allege Tooley preyed on women battling substance abuse, recruiting them into sex work for his financial gain and forcing them to help distribute his drugs. Violence was part of his playbook, and so was manipulation—he allegedly bragged about having “powerful” law enforcement connections through his nonprofit, and even used the organization’s phone to set up deals.

This isn’t Tooley’s first run-in with the law. Back in 2010, he was convicted of cocaine distribution in Boston and served five years in federal prison. After his release, he violated his supervised release over and over—five separate times—before being sent back for nearly two more years.

Now, after being caught again, Tooley faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and up to $8 million in fines.

The irony is staggering. The man who built a brand around “second chances” was never interested in real justice reform—he was running the same game he always had, just dressed up in the language of advocacy.