Sheriff Tompkins pleads not guilty to federal extortion charges

Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins pleaded not guilty in Boston federal court Thursday to charges he extorted a local cannabis company. The hearing lasted nine minutes.

Prosecutors allege that Tompkins, 68, used his official position to pressure a cannabis executive into selling him $50,000 worth of stock before the company went public. When the shares crashed, Tompkins allegedly demanded his investment returned in full.

Tompkins, dressed in a blue striped suit Thursday afternoon, said good afternoon to Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley in the small, packed courtroom. Prosecutors laid out the case against him, saying he faces maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison, plus $250,000 in fines and three years supervised release, for each of two counts of extortion.

The judge said she did not believe Tompkins is a serious risk of flight and listed the conditions of his continued release. He has already surrendered his passport and must notify his probation officer if he travels outside the New England states. There's a roster of people he's not permitted to contact, and he can't have a firearm.

Tompkins is being represented by Martin Weinberg, a prominent Boston criminal defense attorney. Weinberg was part of the legal defense team in the high-profile Karen Read murder case and represented the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Weinberg spoke to reporters outside the courthouse after the proceeding. He called the charges a "mistake" and said the facts will show Tompkins "was charged with a crime he did not commit." He added that the sheriff "has devoted his life, professional life, to law enforcement."

Weinberg declined to take questions. Tompkins stood behind him and did not speak or take questions. He walked into a waiting car and was driven away.

The indictment does not name the company and executive at the center of the alleged extortion scheme. WBUR has reported the company is Ascend Wellness Holdings, a multi-state cannabis operator, and "Individual A" is co-founder Frank Perullo.

Neither Ascend nor Perullo have responded to requests for comment.

Prominent Massachusetts Democrats have been hesitant to call for Tompkins' resignation. The sheriff resigned as chair of the board of Roxbury Community College last week.

The next court date in the case is Oct. 16.