Embattled Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins has began his personal authorized protection fund as he faces an extortion cost in federal court docket.
Tompkins filed the paper work for the “Steve Tompkins Legal Defense Fund” final Thursday, citing his federal case as the aim for the committee.
Federal prosecutors indicted Tompkins in August, accusing the sheriff of making an attempt to squeeze a Boston-based hashish firm for inventory simply earlier than it was about to go public.
Tompkins has denied the cost and initially remained energetic in his elected sheriff’s place till taking medical depart from the county workplace a couple of weeks after the indictment.
The protection fund will permit Tompkins to simply accept donations particularly for his authorized charges from companies and people. He can even shuffle cash from his marketing campaign fund to the authorized fund, though his marketing campaign finance statements present no money readily available at present for the political account.
In an announcement to the Herald, Tompkins’ lawyer stated, “Fighting the federal government is hard and expensive. Many supporters of Sheriff Tompkins have sought to help, and he has established the fund so they can do that.”
Tompkins’ base wage for the 12 months is over $183,000, based on state payroll data.
In line with the Massachusetts Workplace of Marketing campaign and Political Finance, candidates can solely use authorized protection funds “to pay litigation expenses incurred in connection with alleged actions of a candidate while the candidate was acting as a public official,” and issues “not primarily personal in nature.”
For the reason that authorized battle began, a lawyer for Tompkins has filed motions to throw out sure proof and dismiss the case altogether.
The movement for dismissal denies the counts towards Tompkins, however notes that even when they’re true, they don’t represent a quid professional quo settlement, which might be required to satisfy the requirements of “extortion under color of official right” cost.
The acquisition of fairness and subsequent refund occurred after Tompkins had engaged with the hashish firm in an official capability, which Tompkins lawyer stated made it “at the very most, a mere gratuity.”
Tompkins’ legal professionals additionally argued in a separate movement to suppress proof from his Comcast and Google emails that affidavits submitted to create a search warrant for the accounts didn’t provide enough possible trigger for bribery and have been too broad.
A listening to on Tompkins’ movement to suppress is scheduled for Wednesday.
