Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas responded to the charges by suggesting they are political in nature.
Federal officials announced on Thursday that Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas, a longtime Democratic power broker in the state, was arrested on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The charges stem from a corruption investigation into a family-run marijuana business, among other allegations detailed in an indictment that was unsealed Thursday.
In a statement on social media, the Democratic state lawmaker responded by claiming the charges are political in nature and suggesting she is the victim of a racially motivated probe.
Charges Unsealed
A 41-page indictment against Lucas and six others, including several members of her family, was unsealed by a judge in the U.S. Eastern District of Virginia.
The indictment said Lucas and “members and associates of the Lucas Enterprise, a criminal organization,” allegedly engaged in conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, distribution of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and maintaining drug-involved locations.
They were also charged with possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, conspiracy to launder money, money laundering, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and bribery, according to the filing.
Lucas was deemed to be the leader of the enterprise, the filing said, and she allegedly directed the group’s criminal activities, including the sale of marijuana and laundering the money from those proceeds.
The longtime state senator was also accused of using her office and political influence to enact changes to Virginia’s legislation to “benefit herself and her family,” prosecutors said.
Other defendants named include Lisa Lucas-Burke, Theresa Lucas-Lamb, Ryan Eichelberger, Carlton Upton Jr., and Prince Albert William Hudson III. Lucas-Burke and Lucas-Lamb are daughters of Lucas, while Eichelberger is the son of Lucas-Lamb, officials said.
Lucas allegedly directed the enterprise to purchase and sell over 100 kilograms, or roughly 220 pounds, of illegal marijuana, the indictment said.
The indictment further alleged that Lucas used her political influence to obtain a recreational marijuana license for another defendant, with the understanding that the proceeds from sales under the license would be shared with her.
Prosecutors said Lucas spoke with an unidentified person in March, allegedly stating that marijuana needs to be legalized in Virginia because “when I did it, it was obviously illegal.”
Backed Legalization of Marijuana
An advocate of legalizing marijuana, Lucas partnered in 2021 to open The Cannabis Outlet, a shop selling hemp and CBD products. While marijuana is legal to possess in Virginia, recreational retail sales of the drug are not yet underway, though shops across the state do sell other cannabis-derived products.
Lucas runs a network of companies that provide adults with intellectual disabilities with residential, transportation, and other services.
She had publicly spoken about her ownership stake in the cannabis shop as recently as June, although her most recent financial disclosure forms do not list the business by name.
Earlier this year, she sponsored a marijuana-related measure in the state Senate, SB62, that would allow for an automatic hearing for certain felons currently incarcerated or on community supervision in connection with marijuana charges.
Also in 2021, the senator sponsored legislation to decriminalize marijuana in the state, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a pro-marijuana legalization organization.
Senator Denies Charges
Through a statement posted on social media Thursday, Lucas criticized the charges, suggesting they were racially motivated.
“I grew up under Jim Crow,” she wrote, referring to a series of local and state laws that enforced racial segregation and ended in the mid-20th century. “I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them.”
She said she “will not be intimidated” and “will not back down.”
The charges came after the FBI searched Lucas’s hometown office and a cannabis shop in May.
“This is the circus we always expected it to be,” Brian Woolfolk, chief counsel for the L. Louise Lucas Legal Defense Fund, told The Associated Press.
Attorney General Says Charges Not Political
Attorney General Todd Blanche, in a Thursday news conference, denied the charges were political, saying they were part of a longstanding racketeering investigation.
“The senator is not up for reelection. This is a long-running case. As alleged in the indictment, it’s a RICO conspiracy case,” Blanche said, responding to a question about the timing of the charges ahead of midterm elections.
“What we’re doing is very consistent with past practices … people can criticize all they want, but it was time to bring the charges. The grand jury returned an indictment, and we made the arrests.”
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