The indictment alleges that Lucas and her associates used proceeds from illegal cannabis sales to grow the business, steered marijuana licenses to partners and used her political influence to benefit people in her network. FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference in Norfolk that Lucas had amassed nearly $5 million in what he called ill-gotten gains.

The charges are allegations, and Lucas is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The details available in the unsealed indictment include accusations related to the business and its licensing, but do not establish that the defendants committed the charged offenses.

Lucas, a longtime Democrat who chairs the Virginia Senate Appropriations Committee, has also been a prominent figure in the state’s recent redistricting fight. She helped lead an effort to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts ahead of the November midterms. Voters approved the plan in an April referendum, but the Virginia Supreme Court struck it down in May, ruling that lawmakers violated state procedure in advancing the measure.

The federal case puts renewed attention on Lucas’s influence in Richmond, where her committee chairmanship gives her a central role in state budget decisions. The allegations concern the cannabis business and do not, based on the available information, relate to the redistricting dispute.