Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas gave herself up to federal authorities Thursday after she was charged in an alleged marijuana scheme, according to NBC News, Fox News and CBS News. Lucas is 82. She is one of the most powerful Democrats in the state.

A federal grand jury returned a 45-page indictment last week, CBS News reported. Lucas and six others are charged, including two of her daughters and a grandson, according to Fox News and CBS News. NBC News reported that prosecutors allege a racketeering and money laundering conspiracy tied to illegal marijuana sales. Lucas faces five of the eight charges, CBS News reported. The Justice Department said an indictment is only an allegation.

Prosecutors allege the scheme ran through The Cannabis Outlet, a shop she co-owns in Portsmouth, CBS News reported. The indictment says Lucas used her Senate role to shield the business from scrutiny, according to NBC News. In one call cited in the indictment, she allegedly spoke of her "last chance at generational wealth," NBC News reported.

Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel spoke at a press conference in Norfolk. Blanche said there was "nothing improper" about the timing, CBS News reported. He said the probe began "many years ago." NBC News had earlier reported that the probe began before the Trump administration.

Still, the charges came 12 days before the midterm elections. NBC News called that unusual, since the Justice Department tends to avoid such steps close to a vote. "It's not even a rule, it's a practice," Blanche said, according to NBC News. Lucas is not up for re-election this year.

Lucas pushed back on social media. "Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother," she wrote, according to NBC News and CBS News. "I grew up under Jim Crow."

Democrats also spoke out. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia said the Justice Department had become Trump's "own personal law firm," NBC News reported.

None of the reports included a response from a lawyer for Lucas. Fox News reported that her campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

What we know: Lucas and six others face federal charges, and she says she will not back down.
What we don't: Who is representing Lucas and how she will plead.