Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins, who is facing federal corruption charges for allegedly extorting early stock options from a cannabis company, has resigned from the board of trustees at Roxbury Community College.
Tompkins, who served as chair, made the announcement in a letter this week to Governor Maura Healey.
In a statement, Healey called Tompkins’s resignation “the right decision,” adding that vice chair Israul Marrero will immediately begin serving as interim board chair.
Tompkins, a ubiquitous presence in state and local Democratic circles , was arrested in Florida on Friday shortly after being indicted in federal court in Boston on two counts of extortion under color of official right. Those charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
In their indict