Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was arrested in Florida after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of extorting $50,000 from a cannabis company seeking to open in Massachusetts. He was taken into custody Friday morning and was released following an initial court appearance in Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. He’s due in Boston federal court at a later date.

Tompkins is accused of extorting the money from a national cannabis retailer seeking to do business in Boston. The company that is the victim of the alleged extortion is not named in the indictment.

“[Tompkins] is alleged to have extorted an executive from a cannabis company, using his official position as sheriff to benefit himself,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Fole

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