Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, a Democrat, was indicted on Friday by an Oʻahu grand jury on multiple felony charges as part of a public corruption investigation. The 12-count indictment alleges that Luke accepted campaign contributions in exchange for using her position to advance funding tied to a state COVID-19 testing program. The charges mark a significant development, placing Hawaii's highest-ranking state elected official ever indicted in a public corruption case at the center of ongoing criminal prosecution.
The indictment charges Luke with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying campaign committee reports. Alongside Luke, prosecutors also indicted businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum, former state Representative Ryan Yamane (D), Department of Transportation Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami, and former Public Utilities Commission Chairman Leo Asuncion Jr.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced that the charges are the result of a six-month investigation conducted by the department’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, a unit specifically established to investigate alleged public corruption. Lopez stated to reporters that the investigation rigorously followed the facts wherever they led. Supervising Deputy Attorney General David Van Acker reminded the public that the indictment contains allegations and that all defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process.
According to prosecutors, the alleged scheme centered on efforts by businessman Tobi Solidum to secure continued state funding for a COVID-19 community testing program. Prosecutors allege that Solidum had direct financial interests in this program. Investigators claim Solidum agreed to provide Luke with up to $70,000 in campaign contributions. In return, Luke, then serving as chair of the Hawaii House Finance Committee, allegedly used her influential position to support funding for the testing program.
Court documents detail an alleged arrangement discussed during a January 2022 dinner at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Honolulu. During this meeting, Solidum allegedly handed Luke an envelope containing two $5,000 campaign checks, which were subsequently deposited into her campaign account the following day. Prosecutors also allege that additional campaign contributions were discussed during this same meeting, indicating a broader pattern of alleged illicit financial transactions.
The indictment further outlines separate allegations against the other individuals. Former state Representative Ryan Yamane is accused of accepting money from Solidum while actively helping to advance House Bill 2392, an emergency appropriation measure that included critical funding for the Department of Health’s COVID-19 testing efforts. Ford Fuchigami, the Department of Transportation Airports Administrator, faces accusations of accepting a $7,000 payment from a company controlled by Solidum and later making false statements to investigators regarding the transaction. Meanwhile, former Public Utilities Commission Chairman Leo Asuncion Jr. is accused of helping to conceal campaign contributions by filing inaccurate campaign finance reports and making false statements during the course of the investigation.
Following the indictment, Governor Josh Green, who was elected alongside Luke in 2022, stated that the lieutenant governor should consider formally resigning to allow the state to move forward. Luke has been on an unpaid leave of absence since April, having learned earlier that she was a target of the investigation. She had also previously ended her re-election campaign. During her leave, former Maui County Managing Director Keith Regan has been serving as acting lieutenant governor, ensuring continuity in the state's executive functions.
Authorities have not yet announced a trial date for the defendants. Prosecutors continue to emphasize that these are allegations that remain unproven, and each defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence throughout the judicial process, underscoring a fundamental principle of the criminal justice system. The unfolding legal proceedings will determine the ultimate outcome of these serious public corruption charges.
