Sometimes saying nothing says an awful lot.

Suffolk Sheriff Steven Tompkins, indicted by federal authorities Friday for alleged extortion in connection with a Boston pot business IPO, also happens to be Chairman of the Roxbury Community College Board of Trustees.

Gov. Maura Healey had no comment over the weekend on Tompkins position atop the governing body of the local college.

However, according to a pair of Republican candidates looking to oust her in 2026, the Bay State’s governor should speak up and act immediately to remove the felony-indicted sheriff from his seat on the board.

Republican primary candidates Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve both said Sunday that Gov. Maura Healey’s silence and inaction following the indictment and arrest of Tompkins, a Democrat, is telling.

Healey, who came to her job by way of the Attorney General’s office, could have “investigated and indicted Sheriff Tompkins” when she was serving as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Kennealy told the Herald Sunday.

“Instead, Healey endorsed his reelection campaign during the same time period he was allegedly committing extortion. Healey should condemn Tompkins and suspend him from any board, commission, or position that falls under her authority,” Kennealy said.

According to Shortsleeve, Gov. Healey’s “lack of leadership is showing” through her silence.

“She should immediately remove her handpicked Suffolk County Sheriff … as chair of the Roxbury Community College Board of Trustees. This is the same guy who let an accused pedophile illegal immigrant walk free by ignoring an ICE detainer, and who got slapped with nearly $15,000 in state ethics fines. Yet Healey thought he was top law enforcement material,” Shortsleeve said.

A spokesperson for the governor declined to weigh in on Sunday when asked how the sheriff’s indictment might impact his role as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Roxbury Community College. Healey’s office also did not offer a comment or statement on the indictment itself.

Thompson has served as board chair at RCC since 2019, when he was appointed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker. He’s served as Suffolk County Sheriff since 2013 following his appointment to the position by the former Gov. Deval Patrick. Tompkins took over as sheriff after former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral was elevated to the position of state Secretary of Public Safety.

According to the RCC Board of Trustees bylaws, the “Governor of the Commonwealth appoints the Chair of the Board of Trustees.” Tompkins and other trustees are not compensated for their work on the board, according to the bylaws. He made $215,430 from the state for his work as sheriff and for “leave buy back” in 2024.

Jordan Smock, an Associate Vice President at Roxbury Community College, told the Herald that the school would not weigh in on the matter at this juncture.

“As we understand from news reports that there is a pending federal investigation, the College has no comment at this time,” Smock said.

Tompkins, 67, was taken into custody by federal authorities in Florida on Friday after a grand jury indicted him on two counts of Extortion Under Color of Official Right. According to court documents, the charges stem from an alleged attempt to use his position as a means of forcing a cannabis company to cut him in on stocks ahead of their going public.

Following his arrest, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Valle released Tompkins on $200,000 Preferred Surety Bond and ordered him removed to Massachusetts to face proceedings here, according to court records. Tompkins waived any further hearings on removal and is due in federal court in Boston on August 15.

Tompkins’ office did not return a request for comment, nor did the founder and president of the company apparently targeted in the alleged extortion scheme, Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc.

The sheriff’s former boss, Cabral, was listed as the CEO of the company at its founding, though she no longer appears on their website’s board of directors page. A message sent to Cabral’s company email did not elicit a reply, but neither did it return as no longer in service.

The sheriff, according to a federal indictment, became involved with the cannabis company’s Boston business through a 2019 arrangement which would see formerly incarcerated individuals given work at the company’s retail store. The cannabis company used this arrangement with the sheriff’s office as proof they had developed a “Positive Impact Plan” as required by state cannabis licensing laws.

The indictment alleges that Tompkins later threatened the company’s future operations by withholding his support for their “Positive Impact Plan,” if they didn’t allow him to buy stock in the company ahead of their initial public offering.

Tompkins allegedly paid $50,000 for shares in the company. After the stock went public, his investment ballooned to nearly $140,000, but didn’t stay there. Following the stock’s decline below his initial investment, the sheriff allegedly demanded his money back to “help pay for campaign and personal expenses.”

The company’s executive, who is not named in court documents, allegedly paid Tompkins with five checks totaling $50,000.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association said that they were going to refrain from weighing as the legal proceedings are underway.

“Given the active nature of this investigation, the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association will respect the parties in this case, and allow the legal process to play out,” the group said in a statement.

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale praised the work of U.S. Attorney Leah Foley to “expose corruption by Democrats in Massachusetts.”

“Sheriff Tompkins allegedly used his position of public trust for personal gain, thus violating his oath of office. The arrest of Sheriff Tompkins reminds us that one-party rule in Massachusetts has been ineffective in preventing and exposing corruption and extortion by Democrats in offices from city council and state representative to county sheriff,” Carnevale said in a statement.