JUST IN: Top Democrat Sheriff Arrested For Extortion

A leading sanctuary city sheriff has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on charges of extortion, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced Friday.

Foley, who heads up DOJ responsibilities for Massachusetts, secured her third conviction of an elected Democrat this year with the arrest of Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, who has held office since 2013.

In her announcement, Foley alleges that Tompkins extorted a cannabis company by offering it a license to operate in exchange for an equity stake.

“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. 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,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.

“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.”

According to the two-count indictment, a cannabis company in 2019 approached the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, which oversees the industry, about obtaining a license to sell recreational marijuana in Boston. The city’s social equity requirements for cannabis businesses led the company to contract with Tompkins’s office around hiring former inmates to sell its products.

The arrangement was cemented by a letter Tompkins sent to the commission endorsing their plan, but he quickly turned around and allegedly pressured a company executive to grant him stock, reminding the individual that he would not have a license to operate in Boston without his help.

“It is alleged that Individual A believed and feared that Tompkins would use his official position as Sheriff to jeopardize Company A’s partnership with the SCSD and thus imperil both the dispensary license for Company A, as well as the timing of the IPO,” the indictment states.

“Within one month of signing the October 2020 SCSD partnership letter with Company A, and after increased pressure on Individual A, Tompkins allegedly obtained a pre-IPO interest in Company A stock after Individual A relented to Tompkins’s demands.”

In November 2020, Tompkins allegedly wired a $50,000 payment from his personal account to the cannabis executive to pay the pre-IPO price of the company’s new stock.

However, the stock tanked, causing Tompkins to lose money. He then returned to the executive and demanded a refund, which he was given. Five checks written to Tompkins list reasons as “loan repayment” and “[company] expense” to disguise their true purpose.

Earlier this year, Foley, a Trump appointee, indicted Massachusetts Democratic State Rep. Chris Flanagan on wire fraud and theft from his employer and abuse of campaign funds. He has refused to resign from office while going to trial.

In July, former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, a Democrat, resigned from office while she awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe. Foley secured her arrest and plea deal as well.