Federal authorities have charged 82-year-old Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas with racketeering, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, and gun possession as part of an alleged public corruption scheme tied to a cannabis business that she co-owns.
Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and one of the most powerful Democrats in the state, surrendered to authorities Thursday, according to a Justice Department spokesperson.
Breaking @CBSNews: L. Louise Lucas, a longtime Virginia state senator and vocal Trump critic who played a central role in the state’s redistricting effort last year, is in federal custody in connection with a bribery and racketeering scheme, per DOJ
— jake rosen (@JakeMRosen) October 22, 2026
A half-dozen others were also charged and taken into custody in the alleged scheme.
Virginia journalist Brandon Scope wrote on X, “sources tell me that members of Sen. Louise Lucas’ family have already been arrested.”
Sources tell me that members of Sen. Louise Lucas’ family have already been arrested. Sen. Lucas was given until 9 am today to turn herself in. Press conference with the US AG and FBI director is at 10 am.
— Brandon Jarvis (@Jaaavis) October 22, 2026
The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy used various business entities to disguise the proceeds of illegal marijuana distribution.
It further claims that Lucas “used her political position in the Virginia state senate to insulate” the enterprise “from criminal scrutiny, to further the goal of wealth accumulation.”
In one intercepted phone call from February 2026 with an unindicted co-conspirator, Lucas allegedly said this was their “last chance at generational wealth” and added, “I’ve gotten too old to not be greedy,” according to a report from NBC News.
The investigation started during the Biden administration, according to reports.
In May, federal agents searched Lucas’ office in Portsmouth and The Cannabis Outlet, a business she co-owns on High Street.
Agents seized electronics and other items.
Wiretaps captured communications that included those of Virginia Democratic Rep. Suhas Subramanyam and a WAVY reporter, an NBC affiliate, who later received notification letters about the monitoring.
Lucas has long advocated for marijuana legalization in Virginia.
The state currently allows adult possession of marijuana, but recreational retail sales remain illegal until a planned start date of July 1, 2027.
Lucas opened The Cannabis Outlet in 2021.
She has served in the state Senate since the early 1990s after earlier service on the Portsmouth City Council.
Lucas is not on the ballot this year but has ties to Democrats who are running in the midterms.
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Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel are expected to hold a press conference about the case in Norfolk, Virginia, at 10 a.m. EST.
WATCH IT HERE:
🚨 @AGToddBlanche, @FBIDirectorKash to Announce Significant Law Enforcement Action at 10 A.M. ET.
WATCH LIVE HERE: https://t.co/b6uPAH0j1H
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) October 22, 2026
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