Indicted Virginia Senator Insists She's 'Too Old to Not Be Greedy'
Louise Lucas allegedly treated a marijuana bill like it was her retirement plan.
"I've got too old to not be greedy." That’s what Sen. Louise Lucas (D) allegedly said while discussing how a pending marijuana law could deliver her "generational wealth." Now a federal indictment alleges she used her seat in the Virginia Senate to build a criminal enterprise around it.
None of this comes as a surprise to Virginians who refer to Lucas as the Kingpin of Portsmouth. In a press conference, Attorney General Todd Blanche said it best: Lucas "put her own financial interests ahead of the people she was elected to serve."
FBI Director Kash Patel said, "Lucas for five years created $5 million of ill-gotten gains." He, moreover, noted that Lucas had bragged on social media in 2022 that she was 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 RT!" On that same post, she also wrote, "Did I mention my store is on High Street?"
This didn't age well. https://t.co/WwRQQD8fHt
— Victoria Manning (@HoneyBadger_USA) October 22, 2026
Restoration News reported in May about concerns that Lucas could be using her elected position for personal gain. The indictment confirms those suspicions and more. The investigation likely started during the Biden administration, so claiming this is a Trump conspiracy won't hold up.
The federal indictment filed on October 14 details the charges facing Lucas and seven others, including her two daughters and grandson. Lucas’ daughter Lisa Lucas-Burke is the former vice-mayor of Portsmouth and former chair of the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority. She is currently running for a seat on the Portsmouth City Council.
Lucas owns multiple businesses in Portsmouth, Virginia, including Lucas Lodge, LLC and Lucas Hospitality, LLC, which is affiliated with The Cannabis Outlet.
The eye-popping allegations include that the defendants used the "political influence of Louise Lucas to enact legislation and regulations to financially benefit the Lucas Enterprise" and to "insulate the Lucas Enterprise from state law enforcement actions."
Read the full indictment here.
What Are the Charges against Lucas?
Count 1 Racketeering Conspiracy
These charges are governed by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Individuals convicted on RICO charges can be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
- It’s alleged that Lucas and the other defendants were a part of a criminal organization, known as Lucas Enterprises, engaged in the distribution of marijuana, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, money laundering, bribery, and more.
- On November 15, 2025, Lucas sent a text message to unindicted co-conspirator (UCC) #2 claiming she would be carrying the legislation saying, "Yes, we can make a lot of money..."
- On January 30, 2026, UCC #2 met with Lucas per her request at her legislative office in Richmond and provided Lucas with a partial repayment ($100,000). The money was Lucas’s payment for interest in a shell company called Mama’s Chicken, LLC.
- On January 31, 2026, Lucas told UCC #2 that marijuana and marijuana licensing was a way for her to "get generational wealth." She added, "this is my last chance."
- On February 9, 2026, Lucas called UCC #2 and discussed the pending recreational marijuana legislation and the possibility of UCC #2 receiving a license and sharing the proceeds with her because "this is our last chance at generational wealth ... I’ve got too old to not be greedy."
- On March 9, 2026, Lucas called another Virginia legislator saying, "I got to get the license, and I got to get the money rolling in because... I want to make generation [sic] create some generational wealth... I need to be covered under his hemp license."
- On March 11, 2026, Lucas had a telephone conference with a Virginia legislator and Lucas-Burke. Lucas stated, "The whole police department protected us." The legislator responded that the cannabis legislation would make sure everything was on the up and up. Lucas responded, "and make it legal because I did, when I did it, it was obviously illegal."
- On a March 11, 2026 call with two Virginia legislators regarding marijuana licenses, Lucas said, "we trying to disqualify somebody [UCC #2] until he pays me back my money."
Count 2 Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
Between 2020 and 2026, the defendants unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally combined, conspired, and agreed together to commit the following offenses:
- Possession with intent to distribute and distribution of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
Count 3 Conspiracy to Launder Money
- The defendants knowingly conducted and attempted to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate and foreign commerce involving proceeds of an unlawful activity.
Count 4 Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Fraud
This charge involves Lucas using her official position as a Virginia state senator to enrich herself by soliciting and accepting payments or other things of value from others.
- The conspiracy scheme was for Lucas to perform official actions on an as-needed basis to benefit others.
- To benefit herself and the Lucas Enterprise, Lucas "sought opportunities to invest in and benefit from anticipated recreational marijuana licensing."
- Lucas did not report the interest obtained in The Lucas Enterprise on her required public economic disclosure.
Count 5 Maintaining a Drug Involved Premises
- Between 2020 and 2026, Lucas and three other defendants managed and controlled property and made it available for unlawfully manufacturing, storing, distributing, and using a controlled substance.
In our May 2026 report, Restoration News highlighted that Lucas’s business partner, Carlton Upton, accepted pandemic-related relief funds. The indictment charges Upton with wire fraud related to false statements he made to receive the funding. Lucas has not been charged on this count.
Lucas’ marijuana legislation was more like her retirement plan. Lucas will have her day in court, but the octogenarian "grandma who legalized pot" may soon learn that the feds don’t accept "I've got too old to not be greedy" as a defense.
MORE FROM RESTORATION NEWS:
Will the Liberal Pollsters Be Wrong… Again?
Inside Oregon’s School Shooting: Good Samaritans Stand Against Evil
Restore the Military: Peace Through Strength: Everyone Says It. No One Defines It.
Wisconsin Candidate’s Top Priority: Give Illegal Aliens Driver’s Licenses
Conservatives, Change the Narrative On 'Affordability' to Win. Here's How
