Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins will temporarily leave office while fighting federal extortion charges, Governor Maura Healey’s office confirmed Wednesday. Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne will take over the duties of the elected post in accordance with state law.
The decision comes less than a week after Tompkins entered a not guilty plea in federal court. Prosecutors say the longtime sheriff pressured a cannabis company executive into selling him $50,000 in stock ahead of a public offering. When the shares later lost value, investigators allege, Tompkins tried to force the company to reimburse him.
The U.S. Attorney’s office announced the charges on August 8, the day FBI agents arrested Tompkins in Florida. He has denied wrongdoing.
Healey, in a written statement, described the claims as “serious” and emphasized that the sheriff’s office demands full-time focus. “The people of Massachusetts need to be able to trust in the integrity of the criminal justice system and that their elected officials are fully engaged in the work of serving the public,” she said.
Tompkins, who has held the Suffolk sheriff’s position for more than a decade, will remain off the job until the case is resolved.
