By Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) – A senior Democratic state lawmaker in Virginia was charged with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering and other offenses for allegedly running an illegal cannabis business with members of her family, according to an indictment made public on Thursday.
Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas, 82, a long-serving Democrat, was charged along with two of her daughters, her grandson and three others, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors allege that Lucas and her associates arranged for the distribution and sale of large amounts of marijuana. Recreational cannabis dispensaries are not yet legally authorized in the state.
The indictment of a senior Democratic lawmaker comes less than two weeks before the November midterm elections, which will determine control of the US Congress, though Lucas and other members of the Virginia state Senate are not up for reelection this year.
The Justice Department under President Donald Trump has repeatedly investigated and, in some cases, prosecuted prominent critics of the Republican president, and the department faced criticism for raiding Democratic US Representative Ilhan Omar’s home last week.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the investigation into Lucas has been ongoing for several years, rejecting suggestions that it was politically motivated.
“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,” Blanche said during a press conference.
In a statement posted to social media, Lucas did not address the allegations in the indictment, but said the case resulted from her standing up to “people in power.”
“I will not intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down,” Lucas wrote.
Lucas surrendered to authorities on Thursday morning and was due to make her first court appearance later in the day in Norfolk, Virginia, federal court.
Lucas serves as president pro tempore of the state Senate, meaning she leads the legislative body when the lieutenant governor is not present.
She played a leading role in Virginia’s unsuccessful attempt to redraw its legislative districts last year in a bid to keep pace with Republicans who were leading similar efforts in other states.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Michael Learmonth and Bill Berkrot)
