Sheriff Steven Tompkins is accused of using his position to extort a cannabis company for discounted shares of its stock
NEED TO KNOW
- The Suffolk County Sheriff in Massachusetts faces federal extortion charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday, Aug. 8
- Sheriff Steven Tompkins is accused of using his position to extort a cannabis company for discounted shares of its stock
- Tompkins is also alleged to have asked for a full refund of his investment when the stock didn’t pan out
A Boston area sheriff faces up to 20 years in prison after he was indicted Friday, Aug. 8, on federal charges alleging he extorted a cannabis dispensary over the course of several years.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced the federal extortion charges against Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, alleging that he threatened to derail a national cannabis company’s local Boston business license if one of its top executives didn’t help him procure $50,000 worth of discounted stock in the business before it became publicly traded.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a statement that Tompkins is “alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as Sheriff to benefit himself” in a scheme that began in mid-2020…