Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was arrested Friday following an indictment by a federal grand jury on two counts of extortion.

Tompkins, 67, of Boston, was taken into custody in the Southern District of Florida, where he will appear Friday morning before appearing in Boston at a later date.

“The FBI took Sheriff Tompkins into custody today for allegedly extorting $50,000 from the owner of a national cannabis retailer seeking to do business in Boston. We believe what the Sheriff saw as an easy way to make a quick buck on the sly is clear cut corruption under federal law,” Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston division said in a statement. “The citizens of Suffolk County deserve better, not a man who is accused of trading on his position to bankroll his own politic

See Full Page