Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was found not guilty of federal extortion charges.
A jury acquitted Tompkins on Wednesday.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of extortion under color of official right, according to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said in a statement that Tompkins allegedly extorted $50,000 from the owner of the cannabis retailer, who sought to open a dispensary in Boston in 2019.
He resigned from the Roxbury Community College Board of Trustees on Aug. 13 after being arrested in Florida.
Tompkins currently serves as the Sheriff for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. He was first appointed in 2013.
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