FBI raids Sen. Louise Lucas’ office, business in Portsmouth

UPDATED 8:30 p.m., May 6

FBI agents raided Virginia Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth district office and nearby cannabis business Wednesday morning, the agency confirmed.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon that the FBI was conducting a corruption investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter. A federal law enforcement official told Fox News that the FBI opened the corruption probe during the Biden administration, with the conservative news outlet reporting that three people had been detained in the course of the FBI raids Wednesday.

“Today’s actions by federal agents are about far more than one state senator; they are about power and who is allowed to use it on behalf of the people. What we saw fits a clear pattern from this administration; when challenged, they try to intimidate and silence the voices who stand up to them,” said Lucas, the Virginia State Senate’s president pro tem and chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, in a statement posted to social media.

As one of the state’s most vocal proponents of the recent redistricting referendum that passed in April, Lucas implied in her statement that her support of the initiative, which could flip four GOP-held seats in Congress, drew the ire of President Donald Trump.

“I was proud to help lead that effort, and I have never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy,” Lucas said.

The Virginian-Pilot reported that FBI agents were present at one of Lucas’ businesses, The Cannabis Outlet on County Street in Portsmouth, as well as her nearby office.

According to the FBI’s Norfolk field office statement, the agency is “executing a court-authorized federal search warrant in Portsmouth,” adding that there was no threat to public safety. “This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is publicly available at this time.”

The Cannabis Outlet is listed as being owned by Lucas Hospitality LLC, a business entity connected to Lucas, although the limited liability corporation is listed as inactive as of Jan. 31, 2024, on the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s website. The LLC’s address, 1214 County St., is the same as Lucas’ district office’s address.

In records on the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council website, Lucas listed herself as president and CEO of Lucas Hospitality, one of five employers from which she or a family member earns more than $5,000 in annual wages. The other entities include: Lucas Transportation, Southside Direct Care Provider, Portsmouth Day Support and Lucas Lodge LLC.

In her 2026 statement of economic interests filing, which all elected Virginia officials must complete, Lucas reported between $50,001 and $250,000 in income from Lucas Hospitality, and more than $250,000 in income from Lucas Lodge, which is a nursing home based in Portsmouth.

The Cannabis Outlet, which opened in 2021, sells CBD items and related products.

Virginia Democrats have said the redistricting, which could likely result in Democrats gaining control of 10 out of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, would be a temporary measure until 2030. However, the matter is tied up in the Supreme Court of Virginia as state and national Republicans attempt to block the redistricting. The referendum was intended to combat similar redistricting efforts by Trump and the GOP in Texas and other states aimed at preserving the GOP’s congressional majority ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Lucas, known for her spicy tweets on X, called the referendum push the “10-1” campaign and posted a digitally altered photo of U.S. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, a Virginia Beach Republican member of Congress, wearing a McDonalds visor and asking, “Would you like fries with that?”

A spokesperson for Gov. Abigail Spanberger issued a statement Wednesday: “The governor is aware of today’s law enforcement operation in Portsmouth. In the absence of additional details, the governor will not be commenting on a federal investigation at this time.”

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, and Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (no relation) questioned the motivation and timing of the raid in statements Wednesday.

“While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents,” U.S. Rep. Scott said. “It should be noted that this is occurring just two weeks after Senator Lucas helped lead the successful effort by Virginia voters to reject President Trump’s attempt to rig the midterm elections.”

House Speaker Scott emphasized that Lucas had not been charged with any crimes, while adding, “I am deeply concerned by today’s FBI raid. Given the politicization of this administration — an FBI led by Kash Patel and a Justice Department run by President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney — I think people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions. At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means. Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.”

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, a Democrat who represented a southern Hampton Roads district in the House of Delegates, said in a statement, “We simply do not have sufficient information about the reported FBI activity in Portsmouth. However, several previous actions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia have undermined public confidence in that office,” he wrote, listing “failed prosecutions against President Trump’s stated political enemies,” including former FBI Director James Comey and Letitia James, New York’s attorney general.

“I urge everyone to exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter,” he concluded.