The court-authorized search also reached a nearby cannabis shop opened by Sen. L. Louise Lucas.
PORTSMOUTH, VA — Federal agents searched the hometown office of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas and a nearby cannabis shop Wednesday as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, bringing scrutiny to one of the state’s most powerful Democrats.
The search made public a federal investigation whose details remain largely sealed. Lucas has not been charged with a crime, and federal officials have not said what agents were seeking. The operation came as Lucas, 82, was drawing national attention for her role in a Democratic-backed redistricting push that the Virginia Supreme Court struck down Friday.
Agents arrived Wednesday at Lucas’ Portsmouth office, a building that also houses her disabilities services business and serves as her political base. Federal agents also entered The Cannabis Outlet, a nearby store Lucas opened in 2021. The FBI said it was carrying out a court-authorized federal search warrant and declined to release more details because the investigation is ongoing. “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,” Lucas said in a statement released later that day.
Local news footage and witness accounts showed a heavy law enforcement presence around the office and the shop, with unmarked vehicles, agents in FBI gear and a tactical vehicle near the scene. Agents were seen removing boxes and bags from the shop by evening. CBS 6 reported that federal agents included members of the FBI and DEA. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia declined to comment. Court records reviewed by local media showed sealed search warrant entries in the Norfolk Division of the federal court, but no public filing naming Lucas as a defendant as of Thursday afternoon.
The probe has drawn attention because of Lucas’ long reach in Virginia politics. She has served in the state Senate since 1992, chairs the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and is president pro tempore of the Senate. Lucas was the first Black woman elected to the Portsmouth City Council and later became the first woman and first African American to serve as president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate. She also has been a leading voice for marijuana legalization in Virginia, arguing that older drug laws harmed Black communities. Virginia allows adult possession of marijuana, but retail sales of recreational marijuana remain illegal.
The Cannabis Outlet has been part of the public focus because Lucas has said the business sells legal hemp and CBD products. The shop has faced local scrutiny over claims that some products were mislabeled, though the exact focus of the federal search has not been made public. Lucas linked the timing of the searches to her fight over congressional maps. She said she was proud to help lead the redistricting effort and said she would not be intimidated. “I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Lucas said.
Virginia Democrats responded with caution and concern. House Speaker Don Scott said there was more speculation than public information and urged people not to draw political conclusions before more facts are known. Attorney General Jay Jones said recent politically charged federal cases had hurt public confidence in federal prosecutors in Virginia. Gov. Abigail Spanberger declined to comment on the investigation. Lucas’ supporters gathered near the scene Wednesday, with some saying they believed the search was political. A woman who identified herself as Lucas’ granddaughter, Nicole Bremby, checked on the cannabis shop after agents left and said, “I’ve had better days.”
The search landed in the middle of a high-stakes fight over Virginia’s U.S. House districts. Lucas was a visible backer of a constitutional amendment that voters approved in April to allow new congressional maps before the 2026 midterms. Supporters said the plan was a response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states. Opponents called it a partisan power grab. On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that lawmakers violated state constitutional procedures when they placed the amendment before voters, making the referendum results null and void and leaving the prior congressional map in place.
The legal next steps in the federal investigation remain unclear. Search warrants can remain sealed while prosecutors and agents review seized materials and continue interviewing witnesses. No hearing date, charging decision or public report has been announced. Lucas has said she will have more to say in the days ahead. For now, the public record shows a court-approved search, sealed warrant documents and no criminal charge against the senator.
As of Friday, Lucas remained in office, the federal investigation remained active and the redistricting plan she helped champion had been blocked by the state’s highest court. The next major development is expected to come from either a federal court filing or a public statement from investigators.
Author note: Last updated May 8, 2026.