U.S. Lawyer Leah Foley has turn into the Massachusetts Democratic Occasion’s worst nightmare.
Foley nabbed one more highly effective Democratic elected official on Friday, indicting longtime Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins for extorting a Boston hashish firm government.
Tompkins, who has loomed giant on the Boston political scene, allegedly demanded a $50,000 “pre-equity interest” within the hashish firm proper earlier than it went public with an IPO, based on Foley’s workplace.
“His alleged actions are an affront to taxpayers who elected him to his position, and the many dedicated and honest public servants at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department,” Foley mentioned in an announcement.
Tompkins is probably the most distinguished Democrat in a string of indictments that Foley has secured this yr, together with Boston Metropolis Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson on a bribery cost and state Rep. Chris Flanagan on wire fraud.
Anderson ultimately resigned in shame and is awaiting sentencing. Flanagan remains to be holding on to his seat within the Legislature.
Foley has single-handedly carried out extra injury to the state Democratic Occasion than the feeble Massachusetts Republican Occasion.
She has been a breath of contemporary air on this politically corrupt state, doing the job as a result of few have the heart to tackle the highly effective Democratic institution.
“Public corruption remains a top priority for my administration and we will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who uses their position of trust and power for their own gain,” Foley mentioned.
Lawyer Basic Andrea Campbell has been a no-show on the subject of prosecuting political corruption, selecting as an alternative to situation frivolous lawsuits towards President Donald Trump.
The Tompkins case exposes the continued tradition of corruption in Massachusetts politics. It additionally exposes the corrupt hashish trade, the place quite a lot of politicians have tried to money in on the profitable enterprise.
Tompkins’ predecessor within the Sheriff’s workplace, Andrea Cabral, left to turn into a prime government for a Boston space hashish firm, Ascend Hashish, which looms as a possible participant within the Tompkins case.
The indictment prices that Tompkins tried to bully a hashish government to present him the early $50,000 fairness stake in alternate for cooperating in a program the Suffolk Sheriff’s workplace was collaborating in with the corporate. The corporate was hiring ex-cons from jail to work for the hashish agency.
The indictment by no means names the hashish firm or government, however based on a 2018 story within the Boston Globe, Cabral’s firm “plans to work directly with the Suffolk County Sheriff to hire people recently released from jail as workers at its facilities.”
Cabral and Tompkins had been additionally school classmates and shut associates, based on the story.
Tompkins “is downright enthusiastic about the partnership,” the fawning Globe story went on to say.
“We’re a nation of second chances, or at least that’s what they used to tell us,” Tompkins was quoted as saying. “If someone who hasn’t had good opportunities in life can catch on and make a decent living? It’s awesome. There’s no squeamishness on my part at all.”
Now we all know simply why Tompkins wasn’t so “squeamish.” He was allegedly planning to make a pile of money on the deal as effectively.
The scheme Tompkins allegedly got here up with to counterpoint himself by no means paid off, nevertheless.
The corporate’s inventory took a downturn after a couple of years, and Tompkins allegedly got here crawling again to the Hashish government to present him again the cash he had misplaced, the indictment prices.
The manager paid again Tompkins the 50 grand in installments, based on the feds.
What a pathetic approach to finish your political profession and wind up probably heading to jail.
It’s in all probability becoming that when the feds caught Tompkins, he was nowhere close to doing his job in Massachusetts – they discovered him in Florida, escaping the native perp stroll. However don’t fear, he’ll get his day in courtroom in Boston quickly.
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