FBI Raids Office of Virginia State Sen. L. Louise Lucas Amid Corruption Probe

The FBI raided the office of Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas on Wednesday. The Democratic lawmaker has faced financial and ethical controversies during her more than four decades in politics.

Federal authorities have investigated Lucas for years on suspicion of corruption and illegal marijuana sales. The probe began under the Biden administration, sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. Lucas' office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

The raid follows years of scrutiny over Lucas' political conduct, business dealings and public behavior. She has been a central figure in Virginia's redistricting fight and is seen as the driving force behind the state's new map, which voters narrowly approved but courts have held up.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticized Virginia Democrats for what he called a gerrymandering push. Lucas responded with profanity, saying she "f---ing finished" what Republicans started on a federal level. She has posted memes and GIFs on social media targeting former Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rep. Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia Beach, including one with Famous Dex's "Hoes Mad" track.

One post showed an image of Kiggans and Reps. Ben Cline, Rob Wittman and John McGuire in McDonald's uniforms, captioned "you want fries with that." Another depicted Wittman pulled from the House Armed Services Committee gavel. A meme placed a red-eyed Lucas next to a U-Haul at the governor's mansion.

"She completely controls what's happening in Virginia right now," a Republican strategist told CNN.

As the top Democrat on the Virginia Senate's Finance and Appropriations Committee, Lucas has pushed casino expansions. She wields influence over such projects and has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from gaming industry donors.

Lucas helped advance an $11 billion casino project by Comstock Holdings in northern Virginia. Comstock CEO Christopher Clemente gave her $100,000 in November 2023. Comstock donated another $100,000 to Lucas between August 2024 and December 2025.

Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which Lucas helped establish, has sent tens of thousands to her campaign since opening in 2023. She also took $165,000 from Pace-O-Matic and its executives while pushing to legalize their gambling machines. Text messages obtained by the Virginia Mercury in June 2024 showed local officials viewed her as a key powerbroker on gambling approvals.

Lucas co-owns a cannabis shop next to her Portsmouth senatorial office. Virginia outlaws adult-use cannabis sales and pop-up shops, though medical marijuana, private possession and public possession of up to 1 ounce are legal.

A Virginia Mercury investigation found Delta-9 THC in some "Lucky Charms"-labeled bars at her shop, conflicting with the sales ban. Lucas promoted the store on X in 2022, writing as a "78-year-old 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 [retweet]." She added, "did I mention my store is on High Street in Portsmouth," with a GIF of Barack Obama dropping a microphone.

The investigation noted rampant mislabeling statewide, with Lucas' store samples in line with 66 collected.

In June 2020, Lucas faced charges of conspiracy to commit a felony and injury to a monument over $1,000 during a George Floyd protest at a Confederate monument in Portsmouth. Protesters tore off statue heads and toppled one, injuring a person, according to the Associated Press. Charges against Lucas were dropped.

She called for Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene to resign. Greene later said she was fired and planned to sue, calling it a conspiracy to draw people for felonious acts. Lucas told responding officers, "they are going to put some paint on this thing and y'all can't arrest them… [they're] gonna do it and you can't stop them. They’ve got a right. Go ahead." When warned against instructing vandalism, she replied, "I'm not telling them to do anything, I'm telling you [that] you can't arrest them."

Lucas, who is Black, has used campaign funds to support historically black churches in her district. Second Calvary Baptist Church received nearly $30,000 from her campaign between March 2023 and April 2024. In 2025, its pastor told Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones, "You can rest assured that I will be telling our congregation to vote for you."

The church held an event for then-Rep. Abigail Spanberger and endorsed her gubernatorial bid. New Mount Olivet Baptist Church, where Lucas is a deaconess, got close to $15,000 from her since 2021 and has backed her daughter and Democrats. Third Baptist Church in Portsmouth and New Community Temple each received thousands and had pastors urge votes for Democrats.