On August 8, 2025, the FBI arrested Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on federal extortion charges—a dramatic turn for a Boston-area official long known for his progressive criminal justice stance. The 67-year-old sheriff, who oversees more than 1,000 employees in the Boston region and has served since 2013, now faces two counts of extortion under color of official right. The allegations center on a $50,000 scheme involving a national cannabis company seeking to open a dispensary in Boston, according to statements from the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Tompkins’s arrest, announced by the FBI’s Boston Division and confirmed by federal prosecutors, followed a grand jury indictment. The charges allege that Tompkins abused his elected office to pressure a cannabis executive for a lucrative stake in the company, then demanded a full refund when the investment soured. The FBI’s Boston Division Special Agent in Charge, Ted Docks, minced no words about the case: "The citizens of Suffolk County deserve better, not a man who is accused of trading on his position to bankroll his own political and financial future. Public servants must be held to the highest of ethical standards, and those falling short will be rooted out."
According to court documents and multiple media reports, the story begins in 2019 when a national cannabis retailer applied for a license to operate a dispensary in Boston. To satisfy the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission’s Positive Impact Plan requirement—a rule designed to ensure new cannabis businesses benefit local communities—the company partnered with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The department agreed to help place formerly incarcerated individuals in jobs at the dispensary, formalizing the arrangement in a letter signed by Tompkins and submitted with the company’s license application in 2020.
The partnership was a feather in the cap for both the company and the sheriff’s office: the company’s license was approved in 2021 and renewed in subsequent years, with the partnership cited in each application. But behind the scenes, prosecutors allege, Sheriff Tompkins was leveraging his influence for personal gain. As the cannabis company prepared for an initial public offering (IPO) and sought major investments, Tompkins reportedly pressured one of its executives to allow him to invest in the company—a request the executive found hard to refuse, fearing that Tompkins might use his official position to jeopardize the company’s partnership with the sheriff’s department, its dispensary license, or even the timing of its IPO.
In November 2020, after allegedly reminding the executive of his assistance in securing the company’s Boston license, Tompkins wired $50,000 from his retirement account to purchase nearly 29,000 shares at $1.73 each. Following a reverse stock split, he held about 14,400 shares valued at $3.46 each. When the company went public in 2021, the value of Tompkins’s investment soared to $138,403. But the good times didn’t last. By May 2022, the stock’s value had plummeted, leaving Tompkins with a loss on his original investment.
At this point, prosecutors say, Tompkins demanded the return of his $50,000. The executive, still concerned about the sheriff’s potential to disrupt the company’s business, agreed to repay the money in five checks issued between May 2022 and July 2023. According to the FBI and court filings, some of these checks were labeled as “loan repayment” or “company expense” at Tompkins’s direction, a move prosecutors allege was intended to disguise the true nature of the payments.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, in a statement released after the indictment, emphasized the gravity of the charges: "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."
Tompkins’s arrest has reverberated across Boston’s political landscape, partly because of his prominent role in local criminal justice reform. In 2019, Tompkins made headlines for evicting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from the Suffolk County jail, a move that solidified Boston’s status as a sanctuary jurisdiction. While some conservative commentators have been quick to link the current charges to Tompkins’s support for sanctuary city policies, the FBI and prosecutors have made clear that the extortion case is unrelated to immigration issues.
The cannabis company at the center of the allegations had, by all accounts, fulfilled its obligations to the community by partnering with the sheriff’s department to hire formerly incarcerated individuals. The company’s partnership with Tompkins’s office was a key component of its successful licensing applications in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as confirmed by documents submitted to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. But the relationship soured as Tompkins allegedly used his office to pressure the company for personal financial advantage.
According to Axios Boston and other outlets, the executive at the cannabis company felt compelled to comply with Tompkins’s requests, fearing "that Tompkins would use his official position as Sheriff to jeopardize" both the partnership and the company’s state license, as well as the timing of its IPO. The FBI’s media release described the scheme as a clear case of an official "gaming a system instituted in the interests of public safety and fair play."
Tompkins’s career in public service began when he was appointed sheriff in 2013. He won a special election in 2014 and was re-elected in both 2016 and 2022. Throughout his tenure, he cultivated an image as a reformer and advocate for justice. That reputation, federal officials now allege, stands in stark contrast to the conduct detailed in the indictment. "From his very first day as Suffolk County Sheriff, Steven Tompkins sought to portray himself as a man of the people—a principled public servant and reformer, devoted to the cause of justice. That’s why it’s beyond disappointing that he’s now accused of gaming a system instituted in the interests of public safety and fair play," said FBI Special Agent Ted Docks.
If convicted on both counts, Tompkins faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He appeared in a Florida court on the day of his arrest and is expected to be transported to Boston for further proceedings. The case, as FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital, "undermines the public’s trust in every honest officer who wears the badge." Patel added, "The FBI will pursue corruption at every level, because no one is above the law. The people of Suffolk County, and the country, deserve leaders who serve them, not themselves."
As the legal process unfolds, Suffolk County residents and the broader law enforcement community are left to grapple with the fallout from the allegations. The case stands as a stark reminder of the ethical standards expected of public officials—and the consequences when those standards are breached.
