Federal agents descending on the Richmond office, boxes removed…
Corruption investigation hitting the heart of the state capital…
Search warrants executed mid-morning, details still emerging under seal…
The state house is officially a crime scene.
FBI searches Virginia Senate leader’s office as part of corruption probe, AP source says
The FBI searched the Virginia state Senate leader’s hometown office on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation, a person familiar with the matter said. Federal agents also were seen at the senator’s nearby cannabis business.
The search at Virginia Sen. L. Louise Lucas’ office in Portsmouth comes after the Democrat helped lead the state’s recent redistricting effort.
The FBI said only that it was conducting a court-authorized search in Portsmouth. The person who confirmed the FBI’s search was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
A message seeking comment was left Wednesday on a cellphone for Lucas, who has been a state senator for 34 years. Her daughter Lisa Lucas Burke told WAVY-TV that the family had no idea what the federal action was about.
Portsmouth legislative office & adjacent cannabis dispensary.
Alleged bribery & corruption tied to marijuana dispensary licensing.
Richmond is currently a ghost town as other lawmakers and lobbyists scramble to see if their names appear in the subpoenas. In Virginia, where “Pay to Play” accusations have surfaced before (reminiscent of the McDonnell era), this is the largest federal intervention in over a decade.