Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins will plead not guilty to two counts of extortion when he appears in Boston federal court Thursday, according to his lawyer.
“Sheriff Tompkins strongly and unconditionally denies the federal charges,” defense attorney Martin Weinberg said in a statement to WBUR. “He fully intends to mount a vigorous and effective defense to the existing accusation.”
Prosecutors allege that Tompkins, 67, used his official position to threaten a cannabis executive into returning $50,000 the sheriff had invested in initial shares of the company…