Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, a well-known figure in Boston's political and law enforcement circles, is at the center of a sweeping federal corruption case that has sent shockwaves through Massachusetts politics. Arrested by the FBI in Florida on August 8, 2025, Tompkins now faces two counts of extortion under color of official right after prosecutors alleged he abused his position to extract personal financial gain from a Boston-based cannabis company. The charges, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, carry potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for each count.
According to court documents and statements from federal officials reported by Boston 25 News and the Boston Globe, the allegations stem from a partnership between Tompkins’ office and Ascend Mass, part of Ascend Cannabis, which operates a dispensary on Friend Street in Boston. The company, seeking a retail dispensary license in 2019, entered into an agreement with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department as part of its Positive Impact Plan (PIP)—a requirement set by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to promote diversity and provide opportunities for those impacted by past cannabis prohibition. The partnership, run through Tompkins’ Common Ground Institute, was designed to provide job training and employment for formerly incarcerated individuals.
But federal prosecutors allege that Tompkins, who has served as sheriff since 2013 and oversees about 1,000 correctional officers and staff, saw an opportunity for personal enrichment. As the company prepared to go public, Tompkins allegedly pressured an executive to allow him to purchase a pre-IPO stake in the company, making it clear that his cooperation in the licensing process was contingent on his ability to invest. The executive, fearing that Tompkins might jeopardize the company’s PIP or the timing of its initial public offering, relented. In November 2020, Tompkins wired $50,000 from his retirement account to purchase approximately 28,000 shares—an investment that, when the IPO launched in 2021, was initially valued at $138,403, according to the Boston Globe.
However, the stock’s value soon plummeted, falling below Tompkins’ initial investment. By May 2022, facing reelection and mounting campaign costs, Tompkins allegedly demanded a full refund of his $50,000 investment—despite having no agreement that guaranteed such a refund. The executive, still concerned about the company’s licensing prospects, issued five checks between May 2022 and July 2023 to repay Tompkins, disguising some of the payments as "loan repayment" or "company expense" at Tompkins’ direction, according to prosecutors and federal investigators.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley condemned the alleged conduct, stating, “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.” FBI Boston Division Special Agent Ted E. Docks added, “We believe what the Sheriff saw as an easy way to make a quick buck on the sly is clear-cut corruption under federal law.”
Tompkins, a Democrat with deep roots in Boston politics, was initially appointed sheriff by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2013 and has since won successive six-year terms. He has been a fixture at local rallies and campaign events, appearing alongside figures like Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and serving as a campaign adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren. Mayor Wu, when asked about the indictment, remarked, “Every one of us in elected office is held to a high standard, and whenever there are law enforcement officials that there’s anything coming into question with the law, it is a very serious allegation. I haven’t had the chance to read anything or see the facts, but I will do that as soon as I have a moment.”
The cannabis company at the heart of the case, Ascend Mass, continues to operate its Boston dispensary, which was most recently relicensed in November 2024. The partnership with the Sheriff’s Department was a critical component of Ascend’s successful licensing application, as confirmed by a letter from Tompkins in September 2019, promising that his office would “help screen appropriate candidates for employment in their retail stores.” The arrangement was run through the Common Ground Institute, a vocational training program for inmates that Tompkins established years earlier.
While the indictment does not suggest that Ascend’s former local executive Andrea Cabral—a close friend of Tompkins and his predecessor as sheriff—was involved in or aware of the alleged extortion, the case renews scrutiny of political relationships and the potential for abuse of power within Massachusetts’ still-evolving cannabis industry. The industry itself has been no stranger to controversy: in 2021, former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia was sentenced to six years in federal prison for extorting bribes from cannabis entrepreneurs, and the state’s Cannabis Control Commission has faced its own share of scandals and leadership turmoil.
This is not the first time Tompkins has faced allegations of ethical misconduct. According to the Boston Globe, he paid a $12,300 fine two years ago for creating a no-bid job for his niece and asking subordinates to run personal errands. In 2015, he was fined $2,500 by the state Ethics Commission for asking store owners to remove his opponent’s campaign signs while invoking his office. At the time, Tompkins acknowledged, “If that’s the rules, that’s the rules. I’ve learned from the experience, and I’ve moved on. It won’t happen again.”
Tompkins was released on a $200,000 bond after his court appearance in Florida and must report to federal court in Boston by August 15, 2025. State records show his salary reached $191,000 in 2025, with previous years’ earnings ranging from $152,437 to $172,783. The charges he now faces—extortion under color of official right—are among the most serious public corruption offenses under federal law, reflecting the government’s determination to crack down on abuses of power by elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement.
As the legal process unfolds, the case will likely serve as a cautionary tale for Massachusetts’ political and business communities, highlighting both the opportunities and pitfalls presented by the state’s burgeoning cannabis industry. For Suffolk County residents and the law enforcement community, the allegations against Tompkins have cast a long shadow over an office tasked with upholding justice and public trust.
The next chapter in this high-profile case will play out in federal court, with the eyes of Boston—and far beyond—watching closely.
