NORFOLK, Va. — Federal prosecutors unveiled criminal charges against Virginia Democratic state Sen. Louise Lucas, her two daughters and a nephew on Thursday accusing the group of marijuana-dealing crimes, money laundering and bribery.
Lucas, 82, surrendered to authorities to face five criminal counts approved by a grand jury on Oct. 14.
“Lucas for the last nearly five years accumulated nearly $5 million in ill-gotten gains through her criminal enterprise,” FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press conference alongside Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“The purpose of her enterprise included trafficking large quantities of illegal marijuana, creating generational wealth for members and associates of her criminal enterprise, recycling drug proceeds to expand the operation that she launched and created, and steering marijuana licenses to entities in which members held financial interest.”
In total, seven people are charged in the case, which hinges on her co-ownership of a marijuana dispensary called The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth, Va.
Lucas, the president pro tempore of the state senate, “used her political position in the Virginia state senate to insulate the Lucas enterprise from criminal scrutiny, to further the goal of the wealth accumulation for the Lucas Enterprise and to seek legislation benefiting the Lucas Enterprise,” the indictment alleges.
Marijuana remains federally illegal for any purpose outside limited research, though Virginia and 23 other states have legalized it under local law for recreational use. The Justice Department largely tolerates state-legal pot businesses unless other criminal activity is allegedly occurring.
Virginia does not yet allow recreational marijuana dispensaries, but does allow businesses to dispense marijuana for medical purposes.
In Lucas’ case, the indictment alleges she sought “generational wealth” and used her political post to influence state policy toward her own business and the distribution of forthcoming licenses for recreational retail stores.
Although the drug is quasi-legal in Virginia, the indictment describes Lucas allegedly buying pounds of marijuana from a co-conspirator — apparently outside the state’s five licensed medical pot growers.
A coconspirator allegedly sold the dispensary “multi-pound quantities of marijuana totaling approximately 100 pounds” for between $100,000 and $150,000 in late 2022 and early 2023.
Lucas also allegedly paid $750,000 in August 2022 to an unindicted co-conspirator for a 100% stake in a shell company called “Mama’s Chicken, LLC,” through which she “expected to obtain a Virginia recreational marijuana license.”
Months later, she began pressuring the person to return the money. Virginia legalized recreational pot in 2021 but is not expected to have licensed stores before 2027 due to protracted deliberations.
In November 2025, she allegedly sent a text message to the would-be business partner saying: “You know I will be carrying the legislation as the Chief Co-patron. Yes, we can make a lot of money but, before we start down that road again; how about we begin with you sending at least a good faith payment of the money you owe me with arrangements for the balance. Then we can talk about future business plans.”
The unindicted coconspirator on Jan. 30 paid Lucas $100,000, which was provided by the FBI, the indictment says. She allegedly texted the person that they were “back in the same tent again.”
