The FBI on Friday announced that it had arrested Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins for allegedly extorting $50,000 from a cannabis dealer hoping to do business in the city.
“The citizens of Suffolk county deserve better, not a man who is accused of trading on his position to bankroll his own political and financial future,” FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said in a statement.
“Public servants must be held to the highest of ethical standards, and those falling short will be rooted out,” he vowed.
Axios Boston reported that Tompkins had specifically secured $50,000 in stock and later secured a refund when the share price dropped.
Conservative accounts online were quick to highlight Tompkins’s support for sanctuary city policies, though the arrest and alleged criminality appear unrelated to that issue.
