CONLEY DELIVERS $5k TO JAMAICA PLAIN NON-PROFIT Feb. 19, 2008 Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley last week delivered a check for $5,000 in seized drug money to a Jamaica Plain non-profit agency that will use the funds to match area teens with positive young adult role models. Conley delivered the check on Valentine’s Day to the Center for Teen Empowerment, meeting with program coordinators Craig McClay and Jen Lewis and young members of the Egleston Square Youth Organization Initiative at their Columbus Avenue headquarters. The presentation was one of more than a dozen such events planned for this year in which Conley distributes $50,000 in cash seized during Suffolk County narcotics investigations. “I can’t stress enough how grateful I am to the non-profit, community-based youth service organizations that have committed themselves to our young people,” Conley said. “Positive role models aren’t just important– they’re vital to a teenager’s healthy development and productive adulthood.” Thursday’s presentation marked the eighth check delivered to an area non-profit this year. The funds are drawn from Conley’s Asset Forfeiture Reinvestment Program, which takes cash and assets seized during Suffolk County narcotics investigations and returns them to the community through free annual grants. Half a dozen more presentations are planned for the coming months. This year’s awards total $32,500 more than those distributed in the first round of reinvestments grants 15 years ago. The program has been in existence since 1992, when the awards totaled $17,500. The annual grant process usually begins in the fall, with application forms being sent out late in the year. Return to the Press Releases page.