Embattled Suffolk County Sheriff Tompkins To 'Step Away' During Extortion Case

BOSTON, MA — Embattled Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins "has agreed to step away from his position" while he faces charges of shaking down the owner of a national cannabis company, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a joint statement.

"The allegations against Sheriff Tompkins are serious,” Healey said in the statement.

"The Suffolk County Sheriff is responsible for managing more than a thousand employees, hundreds of inmates and programs that are essential to public safety and rehabilitation," she said. "It is a full-time job that demands full time attention."

Related: Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins Arrested In Florida, Charged With Extortion: FBI

Thompson was arrested Aug. 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after he was indicted on federal charges of extortion under color of official right.

Tompkins extorted $50,000 from the owner of a national cannabis retailer, according to a media release from the FBI.

The scheme involved pressuring the executive for stock in the company, according to the release, "reminding (the executive) that Tompkins had helped (the company) in its Boston licensing efforts."

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Tompkins bought $50,000 of stock in the company but after it tanked demanded a refund, according to the release.

The executive refunded Tompkins' $50,000 with five checks written from May 2022 to July 2023, the release said, adding "memos on certain checks that read 'loan repayment' and '[company] expense' to disguise the nature of some of the payments."

Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne will lead the department while the case against Tompkins is pending, the release from the governor and attorney general said.

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