Federal authorities on Thursday charged Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas in a sprawling public corruption case that includes fraud and racketeering accusations involving a cannabis business she co-owns.

Several other members of Lucas’ family were also charged as part of the investigation, including her grandson and daughters. Lucas surrendered to authorities early Thursday and was released without bail following an afternoon hearing. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 16.

“Louise Lucas has served in a position of public trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia for over three decades,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news release.

“The charges alleged in this indictment reveal the behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve. Our federal prosecutors will continue to be guided by the facts and evidence that led a grand jury to indict Ms. Lucas and her alleged co-conspirators.”Authorities claim Lucas’ business trafficked large quantities of illegal marijuana, recycled drug proceeds to expand the operation and steered marijuana licenses to entities in which family members held financial interest.

Lucas has been charged with five counts: 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 premise.

Other charges listed in the indictment include possession of a firearm, furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and wire fraud.

The seven people named in the indictment are Lucas, Lisa Lucas-Burke, Prince Albert William Hudson III, Ryan Eichelberger, Theresa Lucas-Lamb, Carlton Upton Jr. and Tameka Johnson.

Lucas responded by vowing to fight the case, according to a statement posted to social media. Her attorney, Jeffrey D. Robinson, said in an emailed statement to The Washington Sun that Lucas denies the allegations.

“I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them,” Lucas wrote on“I spent my life fighting back, and I’m not stopping now,” she added. Lucas, an 82-year-old Democrat, has served in elected office since the 1980s and as Virginia Senate pro tempore since 2020.

She’s not up for reelection in the upcoming midterms, but Lucas’ daughter, Lisa Lucas-Burke, is running for mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia, and was also charged Thursday. It’s unclear whether Lucas-Burke is currently in custody. Lucas was a prominent figure behind the Democratic Party’s redistricting efforts in Virginia earlier this year — which were ultimately blocked by the state Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court later declined to hear the case in an unsigned order, effectively killing the effort.

According to the indictment, Lucas owns several businesses, including The Cannabis Outlet, Lucas Hospitality, LLC, and Lucas Lodge, LLC.

Lucas and Lucas-Burke opened The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth in 2021.

The following year, Lucas allegedly paid $750,000 for a 100% stake in a business that was a shell holding company for the business’ expected Virginia recreational marijuana license, authorities said.

The indictment accuses Lucas of conspiring to enrich herself by advocating for marijuana legalization in the state, an apparent reference to her status as sponsor of a 2021 bill to legalize the substance for recreational use.

The state’s retail market is set to open on July 1, 2027. The indictment claims that Lucas and her relatives were notified by state authorities in 2023 and 2024 that their business was selling cannabis products that were not allowed under the state’s medical marijuana law.

The legislator was issued a $66,500 fine for the violations, which included THC levels above .3% in certain products.

No state criminal prosecution has been initiated concerning the store’s activity, the indictment states. Lucas was accused of approving and directing the activities of the enterprise, including arranging for the acquisition and distribution of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and supervising the laundering of marijuana proceeds, according to the DOJ news release.

Authorities also alleged that Lucas didn’t report her interest in the business on her financial disclosure forms.

Theresa Lucas-Lamb, another one of Lucas’ daughters, and Lucas-Lamb’s son, Ryan Eichelberger, allegedly acquired marijuana and supervised its distribution while managing the shop, according to the indictment.

During a press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel accused Lucas of generating $5 million through the business.

It has long been a DOJ policy not to publicly pursue cases against political candidates in the months leading up to an election — but when asked about the urgency of this case in particular, Blanche said that policy was never officially put into writing and therefore did not need to be followed.

“There’s nothing improper,” said Blanche.

“This is a long-running case.”

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger lashed out at the Justice Department’s decision to indict Lucas and her daughter so close to the election, saying in a statement: “This timing further erodes the trust the American people deserve to have in the Department of Justice.”Lucas is currently in federal custody after being indicted on charges including racketeering, conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, two counts of maintaining a drug-involved premises, wire fraud and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Earlier this year, the FBI executed federal search warrants at The Cannabis Outlet and The CBD Shoppe. While searching, agents recovered marijuana and firearms at both locations, according to the indictment. An initial hearing is scheduled for later on Thursday.