Federal prosecutors arrested a prominent Virginia lawmaker on Thursday over allegations she oversaw a criminal marijuana enterprise.
Democratic state Senator L Louise Lucas and six other people, including her family members, have been charged in relation to a sweeping racketeering case that allegedly involves fraud, drug violations, and bribery.
Lucas, 82, claimed the prosecution was politically motivated in a statement on X.
“I will not be intimidated,” she wrote. “I will not be bullied. And I will not back down.”
While she has not entered a formal plea, Lucas’ attorney, Anthony Capozzolo, told the BBC she would plead not guilty.
Capozollo said in a statement they were “surprised and disheartened” to learn of the indictment, and that Lucas “denies these charges in their entirety.”
Lucas and her co-conspirators are charged with obtaining and illegally distributing large amounts of illegal marijuana. The government has also accused her of using her political influence to benefit herself and her family.
Lucas was herself charged with five counts, including racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and maintaining a drug involved premises.
Other alleged participants were charged with a firearm charge and wire fraud.
Lucas is not running for re-election. But her daughter Lisa Lucas-Burke, who is also charged in the indictment, is running for the city council of Portsmouth, Virginia.
“I grew up under Jim Crow,” Lucas wrote on X in response to the charges, referencing an era of legal segregation in the US. “I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my entire life fighting back, and I’m not stopping now.”
At a press conference on Thursday, US Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Lucas of overseeing a criminal “enterprise”, arranging for the “acquisition and distribution of marijuana,” and using her power as a lawmaker to influence legislation that would benefit herself and her family.
Lucas has served in the Virginia State Senate since 1992, and assumed the powerful role of Senate president pro tempore in 2000. She has publicly spoken about her cannabis dispensary and her support for legalised usage, as well as her opposition to President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers.
“I’m a 78 year grandma who legalized pot and now has her own cannabis store. And I’m the last thing standing between The GOP and total control of Virginia. That’s worth an RT!” she wrote on X in 2022.
While small amounts of cannabis are legal in Virginia for personal or medical use, major restrictions remain in place regarding its sale and consumption.
Lucas has backed legislation to legalise recreational marijuana.
She is an owner of The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth, Virginia, which opened in 2021 after the state decriminalised simple marijuana possession and legalised personal possession of certain small amounts of marijuana, according to WAVY News.
The Virginia Mercury reported in 2022 that products sold in her shop may have contained substances and dosages that conflicted with state law at the time.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Lucas’ office and a cannabis business in May as part of a long-running inquiry, the Washington Post reported at the time.
It is unusual for the justice department to announce major actions involving lawmakers, candidates, or other electorally sensitive matters in the weeks before an election. Early voting is already under way in the US midterm elections, which are held on 3 November.
However, the justice department has announced a series of inquiries against lawmakers and election officials in recent days, including conducting a raid on the home of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as the government investigates her immigration status.
Referring to Lucas’ case, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, wrote on X: “The timing of this indictment undermines the US Department of Justice’s previously longstanding policy of not taking legal actions — to include indictments or significant investigative steps — close to an election.”
She added: “And sadly, this timing further erodes the trust the American people deserve to have in the Department of Justice.”
By BBC News
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