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The Boston Sanctuary Sheriff was arrested on federal charges Friday after he allegedly utilized his elected position to force $50,000 from a cannabis enforcer seeking state approval to open a clinic.
Suffolk County, Stephen Tompkins, 67, who oversees more than 1,000 employees in the Boston area, was handcuffed in the Southern District of Florida Friday morning after a federal ju judge indicted him two terrors under official color rights, according to a statement from the office of the U.S. Adity District of the Massachusetts district.
“If someone who entrusted the law to enforce it is accused of breaking it for personal benefit, it undermines the public’s trust in all honest officers wearing the badge,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “The FBI pursues corruption at all levels because no one is above the law. Suffolk County and the nation deserve leaders who serve them, not themselves.”
Suffolk County Sheriff Stephen Tompkins was arrested Friday in connection with an illegal licensing scheme. (Matt Stone/Medianews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
He was accused of attacking a federal officer on suspicion of attacking an ice facility arrested in Blue City.
Tompkins was appointed sheriff of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office (SCSD) in 2013, and was elected in a special election in 2014, and later re-elected to serve a six-year term in a row.
According to a report by the Boston Herald, he made headlines in 2019 after signing an eviction notice that required immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents to be removed from county jail and hundreds of illegal immigrant detainees to be removed within 60 days.
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According to court documents, the cannabis company applied for a license to a retail clinic in Boston through the Massachusetts Cannabis Regulation Board (CCC) in 2019. The company partnered with the Sheriff’s department to meet the state’s Positive Impact Plan (PIP). This agreed to screen and refer graduates of the re-entry program for work in the clinic retailer.
The partnership with SCSD was formalized in a letter signed by Tompkins in 2019, and in 2020 he submitted a licensing application for the clinic. The Cannabis Commission approved the license in 2021 and renewed it in 2022 and 2023.
Suffolk County Sheriff Stephen Tompkins has been accused of forcing executives to sell shares and then demanding a refund. (John Wilcox/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
According to court documents, executives have sought millions of dollars in investments from institutions and other high-end investors to raise capital for the initial public offering (IPO) funding (IPO) and expand as a public company.
By mid-2020, the company was preparing its IPO by preparing audited financial statements, hiring lawyers, and acquiring additional funds.
Prosecutors allegedly Tompkins put a pressure on cannabis executives to shares, reminding executives that he supported the company with his licensing efforts. Executives put both the licence and the company’s planned IPO at risk, fearing that Tompkins would misuse his sheriff status and undermine partnership with the department.
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According to court documents, in October 2020, the company asked Tompkins to request an updated partnership letter to be submitted to a license renewal application. Within a month of signing the letter, and after pressure on executives, Tompkins acquired a pre-IPO stake in the company.
Prosecutors allege in November 2020, Tompkins had enabled $50,000 from his retirement account to his execution account, buying nearly 29,000 shares for $1.73 each. After the reverse stock split, he held about 14,400 shares, each of which was $3.46.
Suffolk County Sheriff Stephen Tompkins faces up to 20 years in prison for each Earl of Frightor. (Matt Stone/Medianews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
When the company launched its IPO in 2021, the stock price jumped to $9.60 per share, increasing the value of Tompkins’ $50,000 purchase of 14,417 shares to $138,403.
By May 2022, the value of Tompkins’ shares had dropped by several thousand dollars below the $50,000 investment, but he is said to have requested a full refund. The executives agreed and issued five checks between May 2022 and July 2023.
Prosecutors allege that several checks were marked “repayment of the loan” and “.[company] The costs at Tompkins’ direction disguise the nature of some payments.
A copy of the check showed the payment allegedly paid to the Suffolk County Sheriff.
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US lawyer Leah Foley wrote in a statement that elected officials, particularly law enforcement officials, are expected to be ethical, honest and law-abiding.
“His alleged actions are a humiliation to voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, as well as to many dedicated and honest civil servants of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better,” Foley wrote. “Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration and we will continue to investigate and prosecute those who use their positions of trust and power for their own interests.”
FBI Boston’s special agent Ted Dock added that the law is “clear cut corruption.”
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“From his first day as Suffolk County Sheriff, Stephen Tompkins tried to portray himself as a man of people. He was a principled civil servant and reformer, dedicated to the cause of justice. That’s why he’s not disappointed to be blamed for filming the system based on public safety and the interests of fair play. “I believe that what the sheriff saw as an easy way to make money quickly on sly is a clear corruption under federal law. I believe that Suffolk County citizens deserve better, not someone accused of trading in a bankrolling position to his own political and financial future.
Faced with a sentence in prison for up to 20 years at each count, Tompkins will appear in Boston Federal Court at a later date.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News digital journalist covering Breaking News, focusing on impactful events that shape public conversations and impact government responses.
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