U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced at a press conference that Lucas, 82, is in custody along with six other defendants, including her daughters Lisa Lucas-Burke and another daughter, and her grandson. Lucas is the state Senate's president pro tempore and chair of the Finance and Appropriations Committee. The indictment, issued by a grand jury on Oct. 14 and unsealed Thursday, alleges Lucas "was the leader of the enterprise," arranged for the acquisition and distribution of marijuana, supervised the laundering of proceeds, and used her political influence to attempt to influence Virginia legislation for the benefit of herself and her family.
Lucas, who was elected to the Senate in 1991, is not on the ballot this year. One of her daughters, Lisa Lucas-Burke, is running for mayor of Portsmouth. The charges come five months after FBI agents executed a search warrant at Lucas's Portsmouth office in May, two weeks after Virginia voters approved a redistricting plan Lucas helped lead. Lucas said at the time that the raid came "two weeks after Virginia voters approved the redistricting plan" and that she was "proud to help lead that effort."
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Lucas said: "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. 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. I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down."
When asked about criticism from Lucas's attorney that the case is politically motivated, Blanche said, "We don't do political paybacks." He noted that the investigation began before the current Trump administration and that a federal grand jury had determined there was enough evidence to indict. "There's decision and processes in place at the department when we're bringing a case against a political official, and the first question is: is this investigation proper? And the conclusion of that is yes. Is the timing proper? And the conclusion of that is yes," Blanche said.
The charges have intensified tensions ahead of the midterm elections, which will determine control of both chambers of Congress. Lucas was an architect of ultimately failed efforts to redraw Virginia's congressional map to boost Democratic chances, a move she framed as a response to what she called "Trump's scheme to manipulate the 2026 midterm elections." She is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday.