The founder and CEO of Adapt & Evolve LLC, a Boston-based non-profit organization that claims to provide community re-entry support services, has been indicted on federal drug distribution charges. Javan Tooley, 36, from Dorchester and Brockton, Massachusetts, was charged by a federal grand jury on September 18, 2025, for distributing 28 grams or more of cocaine base. He was arrested on September 23 and is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for September 26 in Boston federal court.
Court documents state that Tooley has a significant history of criminal activity. In 2010, he was convicted in U.S. District Court in Boston for distributing cocaine after selling crack cocaine to undercover law enforcement officers. He received a five-year prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release. After his release around 2015, Tooley violated the terms of his supervised release at least five times and served an additional 22 months in prison.
According to the indictment, Tooley allegedly recruited women suffering from substance abuse disorders to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit and to distribute drugs on his behalf. It is also alleged that he used violence against victims and provided them with drugs. Prosecutors say Tooley created fear among these women by claiming connections to law enforcement and influential officials through his non-profit organization. The indictment further alleges that he coordinated drug transactions using the non-profit’s phone line.
On September 10, 2025, Tooley allegedly distributed 100 grams of crack cocaine near Fields Corner in Dorchester, close to the Adapt & Evolve office. The sale reportedly took place inside his car while a young child was present in the back seat.
After this transaction, Tooley allegedly contacted a cooperating witness again and arranged another meeting for September 23 near Roxbury District Court. Authorities say he was taken into custody upon arrival and found with approximately 160 grams of crack cocaine.
Due to his prior federal conviction for drug trafficking, Tooley faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to life imprisonment if convicted. He could also face at least eight years of supervised release and an $8 million fine. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge according to U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Boston Field Office; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Arlington Police Chief Juliann Flaherty announced the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian A. Fogerty (Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit) and Christopher J. Pohl (Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit) are prosecuting the case.
“The details contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
