Sanctuary City Sheriff Indicted by DOJ on Extortion Charges
A top law enforcement official in one of the nation’s leading Democrat-led sanctuary cities has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on extortion charges, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced Friday.
Foley, who oversees DOJ operations in Massachusetts, secured her third indictment of an elected Democrat this year with the arrest of Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, a Democrat who has held the office since 2013, the Department of Justice said in a press release.
Prosecutors allege Tompkins extorted a cannabis company by offering to help it obtain a license to operate in Boston in exchange for an equity stake.
“Mr. Tompkins is a sitting Sheriff, responsible for over 1,000 employees, who was elected by the good people of Suffolk County. Today, he is alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as Sheriff to benefit himself,” Foley said. “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.”
“Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses their position of trust and power for their own gain,” she added.
According to the two-count indictment, a cannabis company in 2019 approached the state’s Cannabis Control Commission about obtaining a recreational marijuana license in Boston. The city’s social equity requirements led the company to contract with Tompkins’s office to hire former inmates to sell its products.
Tompkins endorsed the plan in a letter to the commission, but prosecutors say he then pressured a company executive to give him stock, warning that without his help they would not get the license.
“It is alleged that Individual A believed and feared that Tompkins would use his official position as Sheriff to jeopardize Company A’s partnership with the SCSD and thus imperil both the dispensary license for Company A, as well as the timing of the IPO,” the indictment states.
“In November 2020, Tompkins allegedly wired a $50,000 payment from his retirement account to an account controlled by Individual A. Tompkins paid a pre-IPO price of approximately $1.73 per share of Company A stock (equity equivalent to 28,883 shares) and after a reverse stock split, Tompkins held approximately 14,417 shares at a price of approximately $3.46 per share,” the indictment said.
“According to court documents, in or about mid-2021, when Company A launched its IPO, the stock had a value of approximately $9.60 per share. Thus, Tompkins’s $50,000 purchase of 14,417 shares of Company A stock had appreciated to an approximate value of $138,403,” it said.
“In May 2022, Company A stock decreased in value such that Tompkins’s equity interest in Company A stock was worth several thousand dollars less than the $50,000 he originally invested. However, Tompkins demanded a refund of $50,000 and, despite the decrease in the value of Tompkins’s investment, Individual A agreed to Tompkins’s demands for full repayment of $50,000,” the indictment said.
“Subsequently, from approximately May 2022 to July 2023, Individual A refunded Tompkins $50,000 investment by issuing Tompkins five checks. Allegedly in accordance with Tompkins’s wishes, Individual A wrote memos on certain checks that read ‘loan repayment’ and ‘[company] expense’ to disguise the nature of some of the payments,” it said.
Foley, a Trump appointee, has brought charges against other Massachusetts Democrats this year. In January, she indicted State Rep. Chris Flanagan on wire fraud, theft from his employer, and abuse of campaign funds. He has refused to resign while awaiting trial.
In July, former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe in a case Foley prosecuted.
