OPINION:
According to a 45-page federal indictment from the Department of Justice, Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas used her influence as head of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to protect her business, accept bribes and advance favorable legislation.
Prosecutors allege that the enterprise generated between $4.5 million and $5 million through illegal marijuana sales.
Ms. Lucas turned herself in to federal authorities and was released without having to pay bail while she awaits her formal charges. She strongly denies any wrongdoing, claiming that the investigation is a political attack meant to silence her like past Civil Rights leaders were silenced.
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Her current legal challenges are reminiscent of the 2020 felony charges she faced in Portsmouth, Virginia. There, police said that Ms. Lucas told them protestors had a right to paint a Confederate monument and could not be arrested.
Eventually, a judge of tossed the case for lack of evidence and the city paid Ms. Lucas a $300,000 settlement, sparking backlash over police power and politics.
Ms. Lucas characterizes the criminal charges filed against her as a racially motivated attack against Black leadership. What else do we expect a prominent Black activist who grew up during the Jim Crow era to do?
RICK KNIGHT
Henrico, Virginia
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