Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to two extortion charges related to his dealings with a Boston-based cannabis company. 

Tompkins was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 8 in Florida, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston announced at the time.

He arrived at the John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston Thursday afternoon with his lawyer Martin Weinberg, who represented Karen Read in her unsuccessful Supreme Judicial Court and federal appeal of her case. 

Facing extortion charges

Tompkins faces two counts of extortion under color of official right. He will be released until his next hearing on Oct. 16.

Tompkins did not speak outside court after his hearing, but his lawyer made a statement to the media and said prosecutors made a mistake.

"Some people who are innocent get charged. Mistakes are made. The facts simply demonstrate that he was charged with a crime he did not commit," Weinberg said. "We are going to have a trial and it is my expectation, strong expectation that a year or so from now we'll be walking out that door and that Mr. Tompkins will be found not guilty."

Allegations against Steven Tompkins

The 67-year-old Tompkins is accused of giving the cannabis company $50,000 in November 2020 to buy stock in the business. According to the allegations, Tompkins pressured someone in the company to sell the stock to him before the company went public.

Federal prosecutors have not identified the cannabis company in question, but public documents from the Cannabis Control Commission reveal that Tompkins was working closely in the suggested time period with Ascend Wellness Holdings, which has a location in Boston  

Tompkins paid about $1.73 per share for the stock before the initial public offering (IPO), prosecutors said. When the company later launched its IPO in 2021, the stock was valued at $9.60 per share. As a result, Tompkins' 14,417 shares were worth $138,403.

By May 2022, the stocks tumbled in value below the original $50,000 and prosecutors allege that Tompkins demanded a refund. The U.S. Attorney said that Tompkins got the money back in five separate checks that read "loan repayment" and "[company] expense."

Tompkins has been sheriff since 2013 and was re-elected to a six-year term in 2022. He's up for re-election in 2028. He oversees nearly 1,000 correctional officers and various employees inside the House of Correction and Nashua Street Jail in Boston.

"The allegations that are in front of Sheriff Tompkins are troubling," said Todd McGhee, a former state trooper and law enforcement expert. He said there's good reason for Tompkins to step down. "It's unfortunate. Suffolk County sheriffs have come from a long line of really upstanding leaders and have always held that position in high regard."