Corruption in the cannabis industry? Say it isn’t so. A cannabis industry scandal hit the news earlier this summer, centering on a Massachusetts sheriff and multi-state cannabis brand Ascend Wellness. The story gained nationwide attention when FBI agents arrested Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins over extortion allegations. The story generated a lot of interest and theories, so we’re here to look at the facts. Here’s what we know about the truth behind the Massachusetts extortion case.
FBI agents brought Sheriff Steven Tompkins into custody in August of 2025. They were following up on allegations that he used his position to threaten a cannabis executive into returning a $50,000 investment Tompkins made into initial shares of the company.
Public records indicate that the company Tompkins invested in was Ascend Wellness, a multi-state cannabis operator with a presence in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Court documents show that Ascend Wellness entered into a partnership with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department in 2019 to meet the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission’s Positive Impact Plan requirement. The partnership included requirements for the company to hire graduates from the sheriff’s re-entry program.
According to documents from Ascend Wellness, the company intended to hire ex-offenders from the county’s correctional facility who had completed job training and re-entry programs and otherwise fit Ascend’s employment criteria.
Prosecutors allege that between 2020 and 2023, Tompkins tried to extort an Ascend Wellness executive into selling him $50,000 shares before the company went public. They claim he wanted to “make some cannabis money.”
The indictment claims that the executive initially tried to deny the requests but eventually gave in after increased pressure from Tompkins. When Ascend went public in 2021, Tompkins saw his shares rise to $138,403, according to the indictment.
Then, after Tompkins’ successful 2022 re-election campaign, he allegedly demanded a refund of his initial $50,000 investment. At this point, the stock had fallen, and he allegedly wanted to receive his money back.
According to prosecutors, the company executive relented, issuing five checks to Tompkins between May 2022 to July 2023. The checks had been disguised as loan repayments and expenses.
The verdict is still out.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts documents, Tompkins was arrested in Florida and indicted on two counts of Extortion Under Color of Official Right. The charges could mean Tompkins faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.
In an August 21, 2025, hearing that lasted just nine minutes, Tompkins pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case’s judge indicated that she didn’t believe Tompkins is a flight risk, as he must notify his probation officer of his travels outside of New England states and already surrendered his passport. While Tompkins waits for his next court case, he is not allowed to carry a firearm or contact certain people.
High-profile Boston attorney Martin Weinberg–who served as part of the Karen Read murder case legal defense team and represented Jeffrey Epstein–is representing Tompkins in this case.
Outside of the most recent court proceedings, Weinberg told reporters that the charges were a mistake and that evidence will show Tompkins was “charged with a crime he did not commit.”
About three weeks after his not-guilty plea, Tompkins announced he is taking a medical leave. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and state Attorney General Andrea Campbell said that he “agreed to step away from his position until the federal case against him is resolved,” in a joint statement. In the meantime, Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne is taking over Tompkins’ role.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department says that Steven W. Tompkins has been with the department since 2002. In January 2013, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick appointed Tompkins as the Sheriff of Suffolk County. He was elected to the office in 2014 and re-elected both in 2016 and 2022.
His role involves overseeing an administrative staff of nearly 1,000, along with all of the operations at the Suffolk County House of Correction, Suffolk County Jail, and the Civil Process Division.
He previously served as the department’s chief of external affairs and is also a two-time past president of the Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association. Prior to his law enforcement roles, Tompkins was the director of marketing and public affairs for the Dimock Community Health Center. Before that, he worked at AT&T Cable. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston College and a master’s in public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts.
The recent extortion scandal is not his first controversy, though. In 2015, Tompkins had to pay a $2,500 fine after he admitted to wrongfully using his badge to coerce eight store owners into removing signs for his political opponents.
In 2021, Tompkins paid a $12,300 civil penalty for violating conflict of interest laws. Tompkins had created a paid position in the Sheriff’s Department so he could hire his niece. Additionally, he repeatedly had his subordinates carry out personal errands for him. He signed a Disposition of Agreement admitting to the violations.
READ: Massachusetts Introduces Bills to Decriminalize and Research the Sales of Hard Drugs
We don’t know the full truth behind the Massachusetts extortion case just yet. Whether Tompkins is found guilty will be decided at a future date. We know his next court hearing is October 16th, 2025, so we should have more answers soon.
If he’s found guilty, it certainly won’t be the first case of corruption in the legal cannabis industry. Nor would it be the first in Massachusetts. In 2022, we saw a former Massachusetts mayor sentenced to six years in federal prison for extorting cannabis companies and swindling investors.
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