Updated, 11:12 a.m.
Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas allegedly used her political influence to help secure a marijuana retail license for a business in which she had a financial interest while overseeing an illegal drug operation involving relatives and business associates, according to a newly released federal indictment.
Lucas, 82, a Portsmouth Democrat and president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, is among seven people charged in an alleged racketeering enterprise involving marijuana trafficking, money laundering and public corruption.
The 45-page indictment, returned Oct. 14 by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, describes years of alleged illegal marijuana sales, undercover drug purchases, financial transactions and attempts to influence Virginia's recreational marijuana licensing process.
Federal authorities claim the operation generated nearly $5 million over roughly five years.
Lucas faces five federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
All seven defendants were arrested or surrendered Thursday and were expected to appear in federal court later that afternoon.
The indictment identifies the following defendants and their relationships to Lucas:
The indictment claims Lucas and her associates used several businesses, including the Cannabis Outlet, the CBD Shoppe and other marijuana-related operations, to distribute marijuana illegally.
Prosecutors claim the operation began no later than 2019 and continued through October 2026.
According to the indictment, undercover law enforcement officers made controlled marijuana purchases at the Cannabis Outlet in October and November 2024 and October 2025.
Additional undercover purchases occurred at the CBD Shoppe and High-N-Wellness in 2025 and 2026.
Federal investigators also documented marijuana deliveries and payments between the Cannabis Outlet and suppliers. The indictment lists numerous transactions involving tens of thousands of dollars throughout 2024 and 2025.
During searches on May 6, 2026, federal agents recovered marijuana from the Cannabis Outlet, the CBD Shoppe and Exotic World, a business in Danville associated with Hudson.
Prosecutors also claim Lucas used her position in the Virginia Senate to advance marijuana licensing legislation that could financially benefit her family and business associates.
The indictment describes meetings and communications involving Lucas, other Virginia lawmakers and individuals seeking recreational marijuana licenses.
In one January 2026 meeting at Lucas' legislative office in Richmond, prosecutors claim she discussed marijuana licensing opportunities with an undercover co-conspirator and members of her family.
According to the indictment, Lucas later told an undercover co-conspirator that she wanted to "get generational wealth and this is my last chance."
In March 2026, prosecutors claim Lucas discussed obtaining a marijuana license for an associate while using her political influence to help advance legislation.
"I want to make generation, create some generational wealth," Lucas said during one conversation described in the indictment. "I need to be covered under his (UPTON's) um, hemp license."
Federal prosecutors also claim Lucas provided money to an undercover co-conspirator and obtained an ownership interest in a business that stood to benefit from marijuana licensing.
She allegedly failed to disclose that ownership interest on required financial disclosure forms.
The indictment further claims Lucas demanded and accepted a $100,000 partial repayment of invested funds in exchange for continuing efforts to direct a license toward the business.
During a Thursday news conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said the charges reflected an alleged abuse of Lucas' elected position.
"Her first duty should have been looking out for her constituents before herself," Blanche said. "But the charges listed in the indictment reflect the alleged behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve."
FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators spent years examining the alleged enterprise, which authorities claim accumulated nearly $5 million through marijuana-related activities.
"During her time as Virginia State Senator, instead of enforcing the law, she was actually breaking the law as alleged in the indictment," Patel said.
The indictment also includes a separate wire fraud charge against Upton involving an alleged fraudulent application for a federal COVID-19 disaster relief loan.
Eichelberger faces an additional charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Lucas is not charged with either offense.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of property and assets allegedly connected to the operation.
The indictment identifies several properties in Portsmouth and Danville, including the locations associated with the Cannabis Outlet and other businesses.
The government is also seeking money held in a bank account connected to the alleged operation.
The forfeiture allegations would allow federal authorities to pursue the properties and proceeds if the defendants are convicted.
The indictment follows an FBI investigation that became public in May, when federal agents searched Lucas' Portsmouth office and the nearby Cannabis Outlet.
On May 6, agents entered the senator's office, which also houses her disability services business, and the cannabis shop she opened in 2021. Investigators blocked several entrances to the properties and were seen carrying boxes and bags out of the store.
The searches were court-authorized, but federal authorities initially provided few details about the investigation.
Lucas, a longtime advocate for marijuana legalization, previously said the Cannabis Outlet sold legal hemp and CBD products.
The indictment notes that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued violation notices in January 2023 involving noncompliant cannabis products sold by the business.
Those violations resulted in a $66,500 fine, including findings that certain products contained THC concentrations above the legal threshold for hemp.
Although Virginia legalized possession of marijuana in 2021, recreational marijuana sales remained illegal without an authorized retail framework.
Virginia lawmakers approved legislation in 2026 establishing a recreational marijuana market scheduled to begin July 1, 2027.
Following the FBI searches, Lucas accused the Trump administration of attempting to intimidate political opponents and said she would not back down.
"I was proud to help lead that effort and I have never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy," Lucas said at the time, referring to Virginia Democrats' redistricting efforts.
Lucas has served in the Virginia Senate since 1992 and has been president pro tempore since 2020. She also chairs the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, one of the legislature's most influential positions.
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