Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas (D) of Portsmouth was taken into federal custody Thursday and indicted on charges of racketeering and money laundering related to her cannabis business, WAVY reports. Lucas, who is 82, was charged alongside six other defendants, including her two daughters and grandson.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche outlined the allegations in a statement. “The indictment alleges that Senator Lucas approved and directed criminal activities and other activities to benefit the affairs of the Lucas Enterprise,” Blanche said.
“It is also alleged that she arranged for the acquisition and distribution of marijuana, that she supervised the laundering of marijuana proceeds, and that she used her political influence to demand and accept a bribe,” Blanche said in the statement.
Lucas, who is an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump (R), responded in a social media post, writing that she will not be intimidated.
“Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother,” Lucas said in a statement. “I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them.
I spent my life fighting back and I’m not stopping now.”
The charges come after a May 6 raid on Lucas’ office in Portsmouth and The Cannabis Outlet, a dispensary she owns located next door to the office.
Lucas and the other defendants were released from custody on Thursday.
The case is scheduled for court on November 16.
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