Justice Department charges Virginia senator L. Louise Lucas with racketeering

Prosecutors allege Lucas used legislative influence to protect business interests

The Justice Department charged Democratic Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Thursday in an indictment alleging that she ran a criminal enterprise involving a marijuana dispensary. The indictment was unsealed the same day. A Justice Department spokeswoman said the 82-year-old lawmaker surrendered to authorities Thursday morning.

The Justice Department charged Lucas and six other defendants with racketeering, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money and fraud.

The indictment describes Lucas as the alleged ringleader of a group that includes her two daughters and grandson. It also alleges that she used her position in the Virginia legislature to advance the interests of businesses connected to her.

Prosecutors accused Lucas of leveraging her standing in the legislature to protect her business interests from scrutiny and promote laws that would boost them.

Lucas, who is from Portsmouth, Virginia, has served in the upper house of Virginia’s general assembly for more than 30 years. She has been the Virginia Senate’s president pro tempore since 2020 and chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.

The Cannabis Outlet, a marijuana store Lucas co-owned, opened in 2021 after she sponsored legislation to legalize marijuana.

The charges resulted from a long-running investigation into possible bribery and corruption related to the businesses. The investigation came into public view in May, when federal agents searched Lucas’s political office and a cannabis shop.

Lucas said in May that the raid was a “clear pattern” from the Trump administration of targeting “voices who stand up to them.”

Lucas was also instrumental in Virginia Democrats’ push to redraw the state’s congressional map and add blue-leaning seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, amid a scramble by both parties in several states to boost their prospects. Virginia voters narrowly approved the redistricting measure, but the effort was struck down by the state Supreme Court in May.