Massachusetts sheriff charged with extortion over $50,000 stock deal with cannabis company

FBI arrested Suffolk county sheriff for allegedly threatening to revoke his office’s partnership with the retailer unless it agreed to the deal

A prominent Massachusetts sheriff has been arrested after federal investigators allege he shook down a national cannabis retailer for more than $50,000 worth of stock before the firm went public.

The FBI said it arrested Steven Tompkins, the sheriff of Suffolk county – which encompasses Boston and the outlying counties of Chelsea and Revere – for allegedly threatening to revoke his office’s partnership with the company unless it agreed to the deal.