Boston Nonprofit Founder Indicted on Crack, Sex Trafficking

Javan Tooley, 36, founder and CEO of Boston nonprofit Adapt & Evolve LLC, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 18, 2025, and arrested on charges of distributing 28 grams or more of cocaine base; he is being held pending a hearing. Prosecutors allege he sold about 100 grams of crack cocaine from his car near Fields Corner on Sept. 10 while a young child was in the back seat, and that he arranged another sale on Sept. 23 during which officers seized roughly 160 grams. Tooley has a prior federal conviction from 2010 for a hand-to-hand sale of crack to an undercover officer, for which he served five years and later violated supervised release, and prosecutors say he has an extensive history of drug-trafficking and related conduct. Court filings additionally allege he targeted and recruited women, many with substance use disorders, to engage in commercial sex and to distribute drugs, used his nonprofit’s phone to coordinate transactions, and intimidated victims by claiming ties to law enforcement. Federal authorities say he faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted under the charged statute.