Latest news with #SuffolkCountySheriff'sDepartment
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Toronto Star
Massachusetts sheriff arrested on charges of pressuring cannabis company over stock purchase
BOSTON (AP) — A sheriff in one of Massachusetts' largest counties was charged Friday with allegedly pressuring a Boston-based cannabis firm to sell him stock in the company. Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees about 1,000 employees in the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, is facing two counts of extortion. He was taken into custody in Florida and had his first appearance there. He will appear in Boston federal court later.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Massachusetts sheriff arrested on charges of pressuring cannabis company to over stock purchase
BOSTON (AP) — A sheriff in one of Massachusetts' largest counties was charged Friday with allegedly pressuring a Boston-based cannabis firm to sell him stock in the company. Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees about 1,000 employees in the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, is facing two counts of extortion. He was taken into custody in Florida and had his first appearance there. He will appear in Boston federal court later. 'Elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest and law abiding — not self-serving,' U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. "His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better.' No one from the sheriff's department could be reached for comment and an attorney for Tompkins did not respond to a request for comment. According to the court documents, Tompkins first pressured the unnamed company for stock as it was considering launching an initial public offering in 2020. The company, according to the documents, feared Tomkins could undermine the company's partnership with a sheriff department program that referred released inmates to work there. It feared that could put the company's operating license risk as well as the timing of its initial public offering. In November, 2020, Tompkins allegedly wired $50,000 from his retirement account to an account controlled by the company to purchase the stock. After the initial public offering, the stock value increased significantly. But when it began to fall a year later, Tompkins alleged demanded his money back and, despite, the decline in the stock's value, the company gave him a full refund. Among the evidence in the court document was five checks written to Tompkins, with a note they were for a loan repayment. Tompkins has run afoul of the law before. In 2023, Tompkins paid a fine of $12,300 for violating conflict of interest laws after he created a position in his department for his niece and for asking his subordinates to run personal errands for him. If found guilty on the extortion charges, Tompkins could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on each count, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Toronto Star
Massachusetts sheriff arrested on charges of pressuring cannabis company to over stock purchase
BOSTON (AP) — A sheriff in one of Massachusetts' largest counties was charged Friday with allegedly pressuring a Boston-based cannabis firm to sell him stock in the company. Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees about 1,000 employees in the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, is facing two counts of extortion. He was taken into custody in Florida and had his first appearance there. He will appear in Boston federal court later.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Massachusetts sheriff arrested on charges of pressuring cannabis company to over stock purchase
BOSTON (AP) — A sheriff in one of Massachusetts' largest counties was charged Friday with allegedly pressuring a Boston-based cannabis firm to sell him stock in the company. Sheriff Steven Tompkins, 67, who oversees about 1,000 employees in the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, is facing two counts of extortion. He was taken into custody in Florida and had his first appearance there. He will appear in Boston federal court later. 'Elected officials, particularly those in law enforcement, are expected to be ethical, honest and law abiding — not self-serving,' U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. 'His alleged actions are an affront to the voters and taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department. The people of Suffolk County deserve better.' No one from the sheriff's department could be reached for comment and an attorney for Tompkins did not respond to a request for comment. According to the court documents, Tompkins first pressured the unnamed company for stock as it was considering launching an initial public offering in 2020. The company, according to the documents, feared Tomkins could undermine the company's partnership with a sheriff department program that referred released inmates to work there. It feared that could put the company's operating license risk as well as the timing of its initial public offering. In November, 2020, Tompkins allegedly wired $50,000 from his retirement account to an account controlled by the company to purchase the stock. After the initial public offering, the stock value increased significantly. But when it began to fall a year later, Tompkins alleged demanded his money back and, despite, the decline in the stock's value, the company gave him a full refund. Among the evidence in the court document was five checks written to Tompkins, with a note they were for a loan repayment. Tompkins has run afoul of the law before. In 2023, Tompkins paid a fine of $12,300 for violating conflict of interest laws after he created a position in his department for his niece and for asking his subordinates to run personal errands for him. If found guilty on the extortion charges, Tompkins could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on each count, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
ICE arrests Guatemalan man accused of sex crimes against child, says Boston court ignored detainer
A Guatemalan national accused of sex crimes against a Massachusetts child has been arrested by federal authorities, who said this week that a Boston court ignored the immigration detainer placed on him. Sostenes Perez-Lopez, 59, who is in the United States illegally, is charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child. Federal officers arrested him in Brighton on Feb. 18, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement on Tuesday. ICE served Perez-Lopez with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge following his arrest. He remains in ICE custody. 'Sostenes Perez-Lopez stands accused of some horrific crimes against a child in Massachusetts,' ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement. 'We will not tolerate the victimization of our residents at the hands of alien offenders. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing illegally present lawbreakers.' ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Perez-Lopez with the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department, Nashua Street Jail on Nov. 28, 2024, after his arrest for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, Hyde said. He was arraigned on the charges in Boston Municipal Court in Brighton on Nov. 29, 2024. Following his arraignment, the court ordered Perez-Lopez committed to the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department in lieu of posting bail in the amount of $8,000. The Boston Municipal Court ignored the ICE detainer and released Perez-Lopez on bail on Dec. 12, 2024, Hyde said. The court fitted Perez-Lopez with GPS to include special conditions pending the outcome of his case. Massachusetts court officials do not have the authority to hold an individual in custody solely on the basis of a Federal Civil Immigration Detainer, Massachusetts Trial Courts spokesperson Erika Gully-Santiago said in a statement on Wednesday. 'In order to comply with Massachusetts law, court officers are prohibited from assisting or interfering with ICE agents in executing their obligations under federal law. That means that a court officer will not interfere with ICE arresting an individual who has been released,' Gully-Santiago said. 'On the other hand, court officers are prohibited from keeping a released individual in custody awaiting an ICE agent.' Perez illegally entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location and without being inspected by a U.S. immigration official, Hyde said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
