The FBI executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at the Portsmouth office of Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, part of an ongoing federal corruption investigation.
The FBI confirmed it was conducting a court-authorized search warrant in Portsmouth, but did not provide details on the scope or targets of the investigation.
Federal agents were seen at Lucas’s district office on Wednesday morning. Agents also entered a nearby cannabis dispensary identified as The Cannabis Outlet, which she opened in 2021.
Several entrances to the Cannabis Outlet parking lot were blocked by unmarked vehicles with flashing blue lights, as was an entrance to the senator’s office. Agents carried boxes and bags out of the shop’s back door.
No criminal charges had been announced as of Wednesday afternoon. Authorities also had not disclosed whether Lucas herself was a target of the investigation.
Blanche said the FBI raid of Lucas' office is part of an ongoing criminal investigation and that it would not be fair to comment further.
“This was a law enforcement operation during the course of a criminal investigation,” Blanche said.
Lucas, a Democrat from Portsmouth, has served in the Virginia Senate since 1992. She holds a top leadership post and played a key role in Virginia’s recent redistricting debate.
Lucas supported a constitutional amendment approved by voters in April that could change the state’s congressional map.
As of Wednesday evening, the FBI had not released the search warrant affidavit or any related court documents.