Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, a Democrat, has been indicted by an Oahu grand jury on charges stemming from a state investigation into alleged public corruption related to COVID-19 testing contracts.
The 12-count indictment charges Luke with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery by a public servant, and falsifying candidate committee reports. Four other individuals were also named in the indictment.
The charges against Luke arise from events in 2022, when she served as chair of the Hawaii House Finance Committee and was campaigning for lieutenant governor. According to the indictment, the allegations involve campaign contributions from businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum in connection with efforts to secure state funding for COVID-19 testing programs operated through the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, a client of Solidum’s.
The investigation was conducted by the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division over approximately six months and built on information from a prior federal public corruption probe.
Also indicted were former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, charged with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery; Tobi Solidum, charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of bribery upon a public servant; Ford Fuchigami, deputy director for the Airports Division at the state Department of Transportation, charged with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, use of false statements or entries, and obstruction of justice; and Leo Asunción, a former Public Utilities Commission chair and Luke campaign volunteer, charged with falsifying candidate committee reports, use of false statements or entries, and obstruction of justice.
The indictment covers a period from approximately February 2020 to April 2022. It describes meetings, communications, and financial transactions allegedly intended to influence legislative and departmental decisions on emergency funding for testing sites.
Regarding Luke, the document details a January 20, 2022, dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Honolulu attended by Luke, Solidum, Solidum’s stepdaughter Kristen Pae, and then-state Rep. Ty Cullen. Cullen, who later pleaded guilty in a related federal case and cooperated with authorities, recorded the conversation.
Bail was set at $80,000 for Luke, Fuchigami, and Asunción, and at $150,000 for Yamane. A no-bail warrant was issued for Solidum, whom the indictment states has been continuously absent from Hawaii and is believed to be in the Philippines.
Luke had been on an indefinite unpaid leave of absence from her position as lieutenant governor since April 23, after receiving notification that she was a target of the investigation. She also ended her campaign for reelection at that time.
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