BOSTON — A Massachusetts sheriff was arrested by the FBI in Florida on Friday morning on charges of extortion involving a Boston-based cannabis company, federal officials said.
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, 67, is slated to face a judge in the Southern District of Florida after he was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of extortion under color of official right, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley alleged in court documents that Tompkins extorted an executive from an unnamed cannabis company in Boston by using his position of power to obtain a pre-IPO interest in the company’s stock.
“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,” Foley said in a 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.”
Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, alleged that Tompkins extorted $50,000 from the owner of the cannabis retailer, who sought to open a dispensary in Boston in 2019.
“We believe what the Sheriff saw as an easy way to make a quick buck on the sly is clear-cut corruption under federal law,” Docks said in a statement.
Court documents indicate the cannabis company partnered with the Tompkins’ department to meet licensing requirements and that the partnership was part of the company’s Positive Impact Plan for the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.
In 2020, Tompkins allegedly pressured a company executive for stock, leveraging his role in the company’s licensing process. He then wired $50,000 from his retirement account to purchase 14,417 stock shares valued at $3.46 a share before the company’s IPO launched, court documents showed.
When the company launched its IPO, the stock value initially increased to $9.60 a share, but later decreased, leading Tompkins to demand a refund of his investment, federal prosecutors allege. The executive ultimately refunded the $50,000 in installments, allegedly disguising the payments as loan repayments.
Memos on copies of checks shared by federal investigators read “loan repayment” and “[company] expense” to disguise the nature of some of the payments:
“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,” Foley added.
Tompkins was first appointed sheriff in 2013 and has been elected to successive six-year terms. From 2020 to 2022, court documents showed he earned salaries of $152,437, $161,911, and $172,783.
The charges of extortion under color of official right each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
Tompkins will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
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