THE MASS BRIEF

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Suffolk Sheriff Steven Tompkins is on trial for his political life — and it's about stock, not drugs or violence.

Opening statements kicked off Tuesday in the federal extortion trial of Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, and the story prosecutors are telling is a distinctly Massachusetts kind of corruption case: less mob movie, more insider-trading soap opera. Federal prosecutor Dustin Chao told jurors Tompkins used his office to strong-arm cannabis executive and longtime Boston lobbyist Frank Perullo — twice. First, prosecutors allege, Tompkins pressured Perullo into selling him $50,000 in pre-IPO stock in Ascend Wellness Holdings. Then, when the stock tanked, Tompkins allegedly leaned on Perullo again to get his money back, even though there was no agreement guaranteeing a refund.

Why this matters beyond the courtroom drama: Tompkins has run the Suffolk sheriff's department — overseeing the Nashua Street jail and hundreds of employees — for more than a decade, and he's a fixture in Boston Democratic politics with deep relationships across City Hall and the State House. A conviction here isn't just personal; it raises fresh questions about how much informal leverage elected law enforcement officials can quietly cash in for personal financial gain, and whether the relationships greasing Boston's cannabis and lobbying worlds get enough scrutiny. The defense, for its part, is framing this as prosecutorial overreach built on the word of an unreliable witness — setting up a credibility fight over Perullo that will likely define the rest of the trial.

Watch for how much Perullo himself has to say on the stand, and whether Tompkins's own political allies show up in the gallery. This trial is expected to run for weeks. Full story at Boston Globe →

Schools get their ICE playbook, and the clock is ticking. Governor Maura Healey's administration released model guidance Tuesday telling schools and child care centers exactly what to do if immigration agents show up — designate a point person, loop in legal counsel, document everything, notify families. Districts have until September 1 or the first day of school, whichever comes first, to have their own policies in place under the PROTECT Act Healey signed earlier this month. Boston Globe →

A $140 million track upgrade could finally fix one of the MBTA's worst bottlenecks. The T is putting federal grant money into adding a second track and high-level platforms along nearly seven miles of the Haverhill line between Reading and Andover — a stretch where commuter rail, Amtrak, and freight trains currently all share a single track in each direction. Translation: fewer trains stuck waiting for each other, and fewer trains turning around early in Reading instead of continuing north. WBUR →

Boat crash that killed an Andover woman leads to indictment. A Suffolk grand jury indicted Lawrence Shieh, 40, on involuntary manslaughter and other charges after prosecutors say he sped a boat — taken without authorization from a closed Freedom Boat Club location — through Boston Harbor at 36 mph while drunk, slamming into a pier near Logan Airport and killing 24-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dankert of Andover. His blood alcohol level was allegedly 0.20, more than twice the legal limit; cellphone video reportedly shows him taking both hands off the wheel seconds before the crash. Boston Globe →

Newton's climate chief got fired, and progressives are asking why. New Mayor Marc Laredo quietly reorganized Newton's climate operation, firing longtime co-director of climate and sustainability Ann Berwick — a former state energy undersecretary — and moving the climate division out of the mayor's office and into the Department of Public Works. Laredo calls it breaking down silos; critics see a retreat in one of the state's most climate-forward cities. CommonWealth Beacon →

Trinitarios gang member sentenced for luring rivals into a nightclub shooting. Luis Enrique Santana, 32, known as "Chiquito," got more than 11 years in federal prison for racketeering tied to two murders and three attempted murders as part of the sprawling federal case against the Lynn-based gang, which has now been linked to 11 murders since 2017. He'll be deported to the Dominican Republic after his sentence. Boston Globe →

The oldest restaurant in America is getting new owners — from Texas. Boston's Union Oyster House, a National Historic Landmark on the Freedom Trail owned for over 50 years by Brigadier General Joe Milano, is being sold to Houston's billionaire Fertitta family, owners of the Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget casinos. A family spokesperson says they plan to keep running it the way it's always been run. WCVB →

The Tompkins extortion trial continues this week at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston's Seaport — expect testimony from cannabis executive Frank Perullo as the prosecution builds its case. Boston Globe →

Lawrence Shieh is expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning in Suffolk Superior Court on the boat crash charges. Boston.com →

The funeral Mass for Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, killed in his home last week in what police called a murder-suicide, will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Worcester. WBZ / CBS Boston →