Anti-ICE Sheriff in Boston Acquitted of Federal Extortion Charges Related to Cannabis Business

A Boston-area sheriff with a history of bucking the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts was found not guilty of federal extortion charges.On Wednesday, the Suffolk County sheriff, Steven Tompkins, was found not guilty on two counts of extorting a cannabis business. The indictment accused him of pressuring the company to give him stock in exchange for helping it during the licensing process, and then demanding that the company refund his $50,000 investment two years later.Mr. Tompkins, who has been on leave since he was arrested in Florida last year, told reporters after the verdict, “I’m feeling jubilant, man; I’m feeling really good, I’ll tell you what. And the jury, frankly. I’m glad that they saw the fallacy of this case. What I was accused of, I did not do.”The case centered on allegations that the cannabis executive, Frank Perullo, feared that if he did not refund the $50,000, Mr. Tompkins would make it difficult to open a dispensary at Boston.Attorneys for the defendant argued that the prosecutors did not present evidence that Mr. Tompkins intended to intimidate Mr. Perullo or that he actually feared repercussions if he did not comply with the demand for the refund.The extortion charges were not the first time the sheriff has been accused of impropriety. Radio station GBH at Boston reports that in 2023, Mr. Tompkins was found to have violated the state’s conflict of interest law when he created a staff position for his niece, and that he paid a $12,300 fine. In 2015, he paid a $2,500 fine for flashing his sheriff’s identification when he asked stores to take down campaign signs for his opponent.Suffolk County encompasses Boston, where city officials have feuded with the Trump administration over its deportation operations. In 2019, Mr. Tompkins ended the sheriff department’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide housing for migrant detainees. Immigration officials have frequently expressed frustration with Boston officials for not honoring detainer requests to hold illegal migrants in custody.

Anti-ICE Sheriff in Boston Acquitted of Federal Extortion Charges Related to Cannabis Business

Anti-ICE Sheriff in Boston Acquitted of Federal Extortion Charges Related to Cannabis Business

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