The FBI has arrested the Democratic sheriff of a major East Coast county following an investigation into allegations of extortion. Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, who serves as the Sheriff for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, which encompasses the city of Boston, has been charged with extortion involving the purchase of an equity interest in a Boston-based cannabis company.
Tompkins, 67, of Boston, Massachusetts, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of extortion under color of official right. He was taken into custody this morning in the Southern District of Florida and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance at 11:00 a.m. He will face arraignment in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the two-count indictment, a cannabis company in 2019 sought a license from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission to sell recreational marijuana in Boston. Due to the city’s social equity requirements for cannabis businesses, the company contracted with Tompkins’s office to assist in hiring former inmates as part of its workforce.
The partnership was formalized through a letter Tompkins sent to the commission endorsing the company’s proposal. However, according to the indictment, he soon pressured a company executive to give him stock in the business—allegedly reminding the executive that the company wouldn’t have secured a license to operate in Boston without his support.
“Mr. Tompkins is a sitting Sheriff, responsible for over 1,000 employees, who was elected by the good people of Suffolk County. Today, he is alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as Sheriff to benefit himself,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley in a Justice Dept. statement.
“Elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest, and law-abiding – not self-serving. His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better,” she added.
“Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses their position of trust and power for their own gain.”
