Crime
“The facts simply will demonstrate that he was charged with a crime he did not commit,” Steven Tompkins’s defense attorney said after the brief hearing.
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins dodged questions Thursday as he left federal court after pleading not guilty to allegations that he used his position to extort a cannabis retailer looking to set up shop in Boston.
Tompkins, 67, is charged with two counts of extortion under color of official right. He was arrested in Florida two weeks ago.
“The facts simply will demonstrate that he was charged with a crime he did not commit,” defense attorney Martin G. Weinberg told reporters outside the courthouse, Tompkins at his side. “We have a great criminal justice system, but errors are made; not every person charged with a crime is guilty. Not every person charged with a crime is convicted.”
The sheriff gave no comment, striding over to a waiting SUV as reporters gave chase and volleyed questions about his criminal charges and political future.
According to court documents, Tompkins’s office teamed up with a cannabis company that was applying for licensure in Boston in 2019 — a key partnership central to the dispensary’s pitch to state regulators. Federal prosecutors allege Tompkins ultimately leveraged that partnership to pressure one of the company’s executives into selling him stock before the venture went public. Fearing for the dispensary’s license and the company’s initial public offering, prosecutors say the executive relented.
While authorities have not publicly named the cannabis company or the executive in question, The Boston Globe identified Ascend Mass as the retailer and longtime Boston political consultant turned marijuana entrepreneur Frank Perullo as Tompkins’s alleged victim. Ascend did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Tompkins allegedly purchased an equity interest in the company in November 2020 that eventually ballooned in value to about $138,403. However, prosecutors say, Tompkins demanded — and received — a full refund after the value of his shares dipped below his initial investment.
Wearing a blue striped suit, Tompkins briefly addressed Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley and offered his “not guilty” plea before a packed courtroom Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors didn’t seek to detain Tompkins, and Kelley removed some of the conditions of release that had been set following his initial court appearance in Florida.
Explaining she does not feel Tompkins is at “serious risk of flight,” Kelley released the sheriff on personal recognizance with standard conditions, including orders to avoid contact with others involved in the case, abide by federal marijuana laws, and not possess firearms.
For each of his counts, Tompkins faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Tompkins has given no indication he plans to step down in light of his criminal charges, though he resigned from Roxbury Community College’s Board of Trustees last week. Gov. Maura Healey recently declined to call for her fellow Democrat’s resignation from office. As attorney general, she endorsed Tompkins for the role in 2022.
“The allegations are certainly serious, and no one in elected positions should ever use or abuse their power in an unlawful way,” Healey told reporters last week, per the Globe. “I need to know more about this. I need to get more information.”
A power player in Boston political circles, Tompkins has served as sheriff since 2013 and oversees Suffolk County’s correctional facilities. His six-year term is up in 2028.
Tompkins has run afoul of the law twice previously during his tenure, paying a $12,300 civil penalty in 2023 after officials said he created a paid position in his office for his niece so she could help him with childcare. Tompkins also paid a $2,500 civil penalty in 2015 for using his position as sheriff to have store owners remove a political opponent’s campaign signs.
Weinberg told reporters it is his “strong expectation” that Tompkins will ultimately be acquitted on the extortion charges. He is due back in court Oct. 16.
“For those that are skeptical, for those that doubt, we ask them to reserve judgment,” Weinberg said. “Again, he’s not only presumed innocent, but the history of the past decades of the criminal justice system have demonstrated that in fact, some people who are innocent get charged. Mistakes are made; it’s our job to make sure that that mistake doesn’t burden Steve Tompkins’s life any further.”
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