The FBI has arrested Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, on charges of extortion. Tompkins, a prominent Democratic law enforcement official whose jurisdiction includes the city of Boston, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of extortion under color of official right. His arrest took place in the Southern District of Florida, and he is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

According to the indictment, the case stems from a 2019 incident involving a Boston-based cannabis company. The company was applying for a state license to sell recreational marijuana and needed to meet social equity requirements, including efforts to hire former inmates. The business partnered with Tompkins’s office to satisfy these requirements.

Tompkins supported the partnership by sending a formal letter of endorsement to the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. However, prosecutors allege that he soon used his influence to demand a personal stake in the company. He reportedly pressured an executive to give him equity in the business, suggesting that without his backing, the company wouldn’t have received its operating license.

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley strongly condemned Tompkins’s alleged conduct, noting that he used his elected office to seek personal gain. She emphasized that elected law enforcement officials are expected to act with integrity and serve the public, not exploit their power for financial benefits.

Foley described the alleged actions as a betrayal of public trust and an insult to the honest employees of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. She called for higher standards from those in positions of authority, especially in law enforcement roles.

She concluded by reaffirming her office’s commitment to rooting out public corruption, vowing to continue holding officials accountable for abusing their positions of trust.