Virginia's 'Casino Queen' Senator Faces Federal Indictment

Democratic Senator L. Louise Lucas, president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate, has been indicted on federal drug trafficking and money laundering charges. Lucas, 82, who calls herself the "Casino Queen," led the drafting of a 2020 law that allowed slot machines and table games in certain cities. That law also paved the way for a casino in her hometown of Portsmouth.

The Department of Justice alleges that Lucas, together with family members and associates, built an organization that distributed marijuana and laundered the proceeds through illegal channels. According to the indictment, the organization earned an estimated $4.5 million over five years. FBI Director Kash Patel said Lucas used her chairmanship of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to shield her business from investigations and to steer laws in her own favor.

Prosecutors say The Cannabis Outlet in Portsmouth and The CBD Shoppe in Norfolk were permitted to sell only hemp products containing 0.3 percent or less THC by dry weight. Neither business held a medical marijuana license. Some products bought by undercover agents tested above that limit. The senator's daughter is alleged to have told an agent, "This is not hemp, this is THC." Raids on the two businesses turned up marijuana and firearms.

Lucas faces five counts: conspiracy to engage in racketeering, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and maintaining a drug-involved premises. If convicted on all counts, she could face decades in prison. In a statement, Lucas described the indictment as a witch hunt driven by political and racial motives.