Top Democrat Arrested in Major Corruption Probe
Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas, a Democrat, was arrested by federal officials on Thursday on several felony charges.
Fox News Bill Melugin first posted about the arrest on X.
Mrs. Lucas is currently in federal custody and charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and firearms charges. A DOJ conference hosted by Kash Patel provides details.
It didn’t stop at marijuana and also involved firearms.
In 2020, Virginia Sen. Louise Lucas called four fellow Democrats “a bunch of wimps” for killing an “assault weapons” ban. Today, she was federally indicted for allegedly running a $4.5 million marijuana enterprise. The FBI pulled guns out of the cannabis shops tied to her, and the indictment includes a count for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
This is a major corruption probe.
The prosecutor called it “a criminal enterprise operating in plain sight.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, agents recovered both illegal narcotics and firearms when they searched properties tied to the operation. They say one of the enterprise’s businesses also scammed a COVID-era loan program.
Prosecutors say her relatives and associates conspired to cash in on her legislation, her access, and her influence. Drugs, guns, and taxpayer COVID money, all allegedly run out of the office of one of Virginia’s most powerful Democrats.
Gov. Spanberger’s Ally
She is also a close confidante of Virginia’s Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger. No evidence shows Spanberger was involved. However, as a former CIA agent, she should have been more alert.
The FBI is executing multiple search warrants approved by a federal judge.
The FBI will search her office and the cannabis dispensary next door. Six other individuals, including members of her family, were indicted; the charges claimed that she was involved in a racketeering conspiracy to sell marijuana and then launder the funds.
This information has been available for a while, and we all knew it was coming.
The 82-year-old has lobbied for marijuana legalization and oversaw businesses that bought and sold illegal amounts of the drug within Virginia. It increased the family’s net worth.
What kind of great-grandma put their families in such jeopardy?
Mrs. Lucas surrendered of her own volition. She spoke publicly, referencing her status as an 82-year-old great-grandmother and noted that she grew up under Jim Crow, but never said she was innocent. She likely hopes that this will help the case go her way. A reporter asked about him charging her close to an election, and he answered without hesitation.
Lucas isn’t up for reelection. Blanche explained it a long-running RICO narcotics case.
“We can’t bring a charge if our purpose is improper. There is nothing improper about this purpose.”
“It was time to bring the charges. The grand jury returned an indictment, and we made the arrests,” he said.
Image: Wikimedia Commons photo from 2008
