Credit: US Attorney’s Office

On Wednesday, November 15, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and other agencies jointly announced that a portion of proceeds from the sale of the Lexington residence owned by two men convicted of child abuse will be shared with the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass. The property belonged to Jack and Jerry Cassidy who were convicted to 20 years in state prison for possession of child pornography and for the sexual abuse of six minor victims, which dated back to the 1970s. Carlton Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said they were able to use the tools available to them under federal law to forfeit an instrument of cruelty and turn it into a genuine benefit to future child abuse investigations. Winn Stephens, Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass, said they were honored to receive the funds, which will be used to aid in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.