Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, a Trump critic, charged in marijuana racketeering case

Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas has been charged in a federal indictment with leading an alleged marijuana racketeering conspiracy, according to court documents made public on Thursday.

Lucas, an 82-year-old who is one of the top elected Democrats in Virginia, is a critic of President Donald Trump.

The case, which also charges members of Lucas' family, was made public by the Department of Justice weeks before the midterm elections, which will determine what political party controls both chambers of Congress.

Lucas, the state Senate's president pro tempore and chairman of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, is not on the ballot this year.

The indictment says that Lucas "was the leader of the enterprise," that she "arranged for the acquisition and distribution of marijuana, supervises the laundering of marijuana proceeds," and "used her political influence to attempt to influence Virginia legislation for the benefit of herself and her family and maintained a premise for the distribution of marijuana."