Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was taken into custody Friday by FBI agents in Florida and charged with extortion related to an investment he made in a Boston-based cannabis business, according to a press release from the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office.
“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,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Prosecutors allege that Tompkins, 67, who’s served as Suffolk County sheriff since 2013, used his official position to threaten a cannabis executive into returning $50,000 he’d invested in initial shares of the company.
According to the indictment, the company is a national marijuana seller founded in 2018 that began applying to operate in Massachusetts in 2019. Prosecutors say the company entered into a hiring “partnership” with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, as part of its licensing effort with the Cannabis Control Commission.
Public records filed with the commission and stock records appear to indicate that the company is Ascend Wellness Holdings. The company’s filings include a signed document from Tompkins, dated Sept. 5, 2019, documenting the department’s agreement to partner with the company by referring candidates for employment from a re-entry program.
The Cannabis Control Commission “cannot comment on federal investigations,” according to a statement from a commission spokesperson.
Ascend’s chief executive for Massachusetts was Andrea Cabral, a former Suffolk County sheriff herself. Cabral is not named in the indictment; she did not immediately respond to a request for comment left on her voicemail.
From 2020 to July 2023, prosecutors allege, Tompkins engaged in schemes to extort an executive of the company into selling him shares for $50,000 before the company went public, so he could “make some cannabis money.”
The executive initially rebuffed the requests, according to the indictment, but relented after increased pressure from the sheriff.
When the company went public in mid-2021, Tompkins’ shares jumped in worth to $138,403, the indictment says. Soon after, amid his re-election campaign, Tompkins allegedly demanded a refund of his $50,000 investment. But by then the stock had fallen; still, Tompkins demanded his full original sum.
From May 2022 to July 2023, the executive refunded Tompkins by issuing a series of five checks, prosecutors allege, disguising them as loan repayments and expenses.
Tompkins’ state salary was $191,000 last year, and nearly $180,000 in 2023, per state records.
A federal grand jury charged Tompkins with two counts of Extortion Under Color of Official Right. Prosecutors said he would make an initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida Friday, and appear in a Boston court at a later date.
If found guilty, Tompkins could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, plus three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 for each of the two counts of extortion.
Tompkins is currently in the middle of a four-year term as the county’s sheriff, which lasts until January 2027. As sheriff, Tompkins operates the House of Correction in Boston and the Nashua Street Jail, overseeing about 1,000 correctional officers and other employees.
Tompkins could not immediately be reached for comment. It’s likely he was in Florida for a conference of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, being held in Hollywood, Florida, starting Friday. The sheriff has held leadership positions with the group.
In 2023, Tompkins paid a $12,300 civil fine for violating the state’s conflict of interest law. The Massachusetts Ethics Commission said his violations included creating a paid position for his niece and asking his staff to do personal errands for him.
WBUR’s Todd Wallack contributed reporting.
This article was originally published on August 08, 2025.
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