HOUSTON, TX (Covering Katy News) - Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg reinvested more than $1 million from seized criminal assets into community crime prevention programs in 2023 – the second-largest annual reinvestment since taking office in 2017.
“These assets are seized from those who intend to destroy our communities – the drug and human traffickers, street racers and money launderers,” Ogg said. “By reinvesting these funds into community building and crime-prevention programs, we are disrupting the cycle of crime for profit and intervening in high-risk communities before crime takes hold.”
The HCDAO’s Asset Forfeiture Division handled approximately 1,200 cases in 2023 and obtained judgments awarding more than $4.8 million for law-enforcement purposes and crime-prevention programs.
About 70% of the seized funds go directly to law-enforcement agencies, and the District Attorney’s Office receives 30%.
The District Attorney’s Office donated $1,043,266 from its portion of the funds in 2023 to local crime prevention and victim assistance programs, including the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to fund a “high risk team,” the TXFNE Center of Forensic Excellence to quadruple its staff of forensic interviewers to assist adult victims of sexual assault, the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Success to Significance outreach program, and the Albert Schweitzer Scholarship Program to provide resources for women after incarceration.
“This grant will help women turn their lives around after incarceration,” Dr. Andrea Link, executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Houston Galveston said. “Our Fellows work with programs like Angela House to provide health-related services to help women with a history of low-level offenses and co-occurring mental illness to truly get a fresh start.”
Other recipients include American Youthworks, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Chester Street Foundation, Hope for Families Inc., Minaret Foundation, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and The Council on Recovery.
“We are sending criminals a strong message that we do not tolerate crime for profit and that we are invested in the long-term health and safety of our communities,” Ogg said.