U.S. charges 82-year-old Virginia Democratic lawmaker in alleged drug scheme

The Associated Press

· Posted: Oct 22, 2026 12:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

One of the most powerful Democrats in the U.S. state of Virginia has been charged in connection with what federal authorities allege was a role leading a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that acquired and distributed large quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.

Virginia state Senator L. Louise Lucas, 82, who has been in elected office for decades, used her political power to insulate the operation from scrutiny, according to an indictment Thursday charging her and six other defendants, including several of her relatives.

She "put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve," said U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who spoke at a news conference with FBI Director Kash Patel.

Lucas surrendered, a Justice Department spokesperson said, and was expected to make an initial appearance in federal court on Thursday afternoon.

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The indictment comes less than two weeks before the November midterm elections, which will determine control of the U.S. Congress, though Lucas and other members of the Virginia state senate are not up for re-election this year.

The Justice Department under President Donald Trump has repeatedly investigated and, in some cases, prosecuted prominent critics of the Republican president, and the department faced criticism for raiding Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's home last week.

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche answers questions during a press conference announcing Thursday's indictment in Norfolk, Va. (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)

Blanche said the investigation into Lucas has been ongoing for several years, rejecting suggestions that it was politically motivated.

"The charges listed in the indictment reflect the alleged behaviour of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve," Blanche said during Thursday's news conference.

'I will not be bullied,' Lucas says

The charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, came after the FBI searched Lucas's hometown office and a cannabis shop in which she has a stake in May.

At the time of the search, Lucas — who has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration — characterized it as an attempt to intimidate her.

"This is the circus we always expected it to be, and we will wait for further details to have a more specific response," said Brian Woolfolk, chief counsel for the L. Louise Lucas Legal Defense Fund.

A statement attributed to Lucas posted on her social media account did not directly address the substance of the charges but said Thursday's actions amounted to the federal government wielding its "full weight" against a great-grandmother.

"I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down," Lucas said in the statement.

Lucas, who has served since 1992 in the Virginia state senate, says she 'will not be intimidated.' (Steve Helber/The Associated Press)

Decades in state senate

The brash lawmaker has spent decades ascending the ranks of Virginia politics and has served since 1992 in the state senate, where she is the president pro tempore, overseeing the chamber in the lieutenant governor's absence.

She also leads the powerful senate finance committee, through which all legislation with any budget impact must flow.

Lucas has been a leading voice in Democrats' ultimately failed attempt to redistrict the state's congressional map this year, a bid to hedge against Republican efforts in other states to redraw maps for their advantage in midterm elections.