The sheriff for the county in which Boston is located has been arrested and charged with extortion, federal officials announced on Aug. 8.
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven M. Tompkins was charged with two counts of extortion.
According to court documents unsealed on Friday, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office entered a partnership with a national cannabis company in 2019 that involved the sheriff’s office helping screen and refer people who graduated from its re-entry program to the company as potential employees.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which received notification of the partnership, approved a license for the company in 2021.
Tompkins allegedly later extorted the company as it prepared to launch an initial public offering, saying he had helped it obtain a license and would assist with renewals provided he receive pre-public-offering interest in the company.
An executive agreed to deal with Tompkins because of concerns the sheriff would use his position to jeopardize the license and the timing of the public offering, according to an indictment.
Tompkins wired $50,000 from his retirement account to the executive and, in return, received thousands of shares, authorities said. After the company went public, the investment had reached a value of $138,403.
In 2022, Tompkins allegedly demanded his investment back because he needed the money to pay for his reelection campaign.
Even though the stock price had caused the initial investment to dip below $50,000, the executive repaid Tompkins in full due to continued concerns the sheriff would act against the company if the executive did not, according to the documents.
“Today, he is alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as Sheriff to benefit himself.
“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.”
Ted E. Docks, an FBI special agent, said: “From his very first day as Suffolk County Sheriff, Steven Tompkins sought to portray himself as a man of the people – a principled public servant and reformer, devoted to the cause of justice. That’s why it’s beyond disappointing that he’s now accused of gaming a system instituted in the interests of public safety and fair play.”
Tompkins did not have a lawyer listed on the court docket. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office did not pick up the phone on Friday, and a voicemail said its media representative is out of the office until Monday.
Tompkins previously paid a $12,300 fine for violating a conflict-of-interest law by employing his niece in the sheriff’s department and asking subordinates to complete personal errands for him. In 2015, he also paid a fine for violating the same law by invoking his position as sheriff when asking store owners to remove signs for his opponent’s campaign.
A magistrate judge issued an arrest warrant for Tompkins on Thursday, and he was taken into custody. Tompkins was scheduled to appear in court in Florida, where he was arrested, on Friday.
He will make an appearance at federal court in Boston at a later date, according to the Department of Justice.
