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DOJ Indicts Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas, Todd Blanche Says, In Marijuana Trafficking Conspiracy
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DOJ indicted Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas and co-defendants in marijuana trafficking. Indictment alleges racketeering conspiracy tied to a family-owned cannabis business.
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Lucas indicted in scheme
Federal prosecutors indicted Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas and six others in a marijuana trafficking conspiracy and corruption probe, and the Justice Department said the case was unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The DOJ has charged Democratic state senator L. Louise Lucas and six others.”
Lucas, 82, surrendered to law enforcement Thursday morning, and Attorney General Todd Blanche said the charges allege Lucas violated the trust of the people of Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Virginia, and of her state Senate colleagues.
Prosecutors accused Lucas of using her legislative office to help support a "criminal enterprise" through a marijuana dispensary business, with charges ranging from racketeering, money laundering, drug trafficking and fraud.
Prosecutors also alleged Lucas and co-defendants arranged for the purchase and sale of more than 100 kilos of marijuana and laundered the profits, and the indictment described Lucas as using her role as the Virginia Senate pro-tempore and chair of the Finance and Appropriations committee to shield her activities from scrutiny.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Todd Blanche were expected to appear at a news conference in Norfolk Thursday to announce the case, according to ABC News.
Lucas vows to fight
Lucas vowed to fight the charges in a statement on X, and she said, "Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother."
At a press conference in Norfolk, Virginia, Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed concerns about bringing the charges so close to the midterm elections, saying there was "nothing improper" about the timing of the indictment.
FBI Director Kash Patel characterized Lucas as having "many things to answer for" and described her actions as "truly the epitome of hypocrisy for a public official."
Lucas also told reporters she would not be intimidated, and she said, "I grew up under Jim Crow. I've seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them."
NBC News reported that the investigation into the 82-year-old Lucas predates the Trump administration, and it said the Justice Department’s move 12 days before a midterm election was unusual.
What the case targets
The indictment alleges Lucas led a scheme that prosecutors say ran from 2019 through 2026, and it described a "Lucas Enterprise" involving a close-knit group of family members and associates. Prosecutors said Lucas used her position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to insulate the enterprise from criminal scrutiny and influence legislation to financially benefit themselves, and they said the charges include racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and conspiracy to launder money. CNN reported that the state recently passed a law that will allow regulated retail marijuana sales beginning on July 1, 2027, while it said Lucas is not up for reelection this year.
“The state recently passed a law that will allow regulated retail marijuana sales beginning on July 1, 2027.”
Fox News reported that the indictment says Lucas accumulated nearly $5 million in "ill-gotten gains," and it said the DOJ alleged Lucas sought "generational wealth" and used her political post to influence state policy toward her own business. The case also names Lucas’s daughters, Lisa Lucas-Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, and her grandson Ryan Eichelberger, and it ties the alleged scheme to Lucas’s co-ownership of a marijuana dispensary called The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth, Va.