Federal prosecutors contend that Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas led a criminal drug enterprise, according to a 45-page indictment filed Thursday.
By Catholics for Catholics
On Oct. 22, Federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a Virginia state Senator and a half dozen others linked with an alleged bribery and racketeering scheme.
According to a story by the Epoch Times, state Sen. Lille Louise Lucas and six other co-defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess marijuana, conspiring to launder money, laundering money and committing bribery by distributing large quantities of illegal marijuana under the auspices of her legal medical cannabis business.
Currently in federal custody are all seven defendants, including two daughters and one grandson of Lucas, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced at a news conference Oct. 22. He said he believes they will make their first appearance in court on Thursday afternoon.
According to a 45-page indictment, the powerful Democratic senator approved and directed criminal activities to benefit her Lucas Enterprise, Blanche said, adding that she also allegedly supervised the laundering of proceeds from marijuana sales.
He also said Lucas is alleged to have “used her political influence to demand and accept a bribe and attempted to influence Virginia legislation for the benefit of herself and her family.”
On Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters in a news conference that the senator is “truly the epitome of hypocrisy for a public official.”
BREAKING: Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas faces five federal charges in an alleged criminal enterprise involving marijuana trafficking, money laundering, and political corruption. Attorney General Todd Blanche says prosecutors accuse Lucas of directing criminal activities, overseeing the laundering of drug proceeds, and using her political influence to demand and accept a bribe. Seven defendants are charged in connection with the alleged operation, which prosecutors say also involved an attempt to influence Virginia legislation for personal and family benefit. Download the FOX News app for the latest details: https://t.co/ISpW9Fc0R3
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2026
“During her time as Virginia State Senator, instead of enforcing the law, she was actually breaking the law as alleged in the indictment, and then using her position of power and public trust to defend and deflect against her own criminal enterprise,” Patel added.
In addition, Blanche said that Lucas and the six other co-defendants were “arrested or surrendered for allegedly participating in a large-scale RICO drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy,” adding they are currently in federal custody.
After the announcement of the charges, Lucas wrote in a post on X that she believes the charges are political and suggested racial animus also played a role.
“I grew up under Jim Crow,” she wrote, referring to a collection 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.”
