Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Indicted on Bribery Charges in COVID Contract Case

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke was indicted by a grand jury on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports, according to Fox News reporting. The charges stem from alleged payments made to her campaign committee when she was a state lawmaker in 2022.

Local businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum allegedly provided the payments, per prosecutors, totaling at least $35,000 connected to a COVID-19 testing contract that a company he represented had with the state. Solidum represented the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, which held state contracts for COVID-19 testing sites.

According to the indictment, Solidum met with Luke at a steakhouse in January 2022 and gave her two $5,000 checks made out to her campaign committee, Friends of Sylvia Luke. The indictment quotes Solidum telling Luke 'By next week, we'll have 35, so it will be halfway to our 70,' suggesting a promise to deliver $70,000 total. Luke allegedly responded with 'Oh wow' and 'That's terrific,' per the charging document. The indictment also includes an alleged statement from Solidum to another state representative saying 'All I gotta do is give her more money now,' suggesting he was leveraging his donations to influence her position as she prepared her run for lieutenant governor.

Four others were also indicted as part of the state attorney general's probe, per Fox News: Tobi Solidum himself, former state representative Ryan Yamane, Hawaii's Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and Leo Asuncíon, a former official for Hawaii's public utilities commission. The investigation was triggered as an offshoot of a federal bribery probe and led by state Attorney General Anne Lopez.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called for Luke to resign hours after the indictment was announced, stating per his public remarks that 'The lieutenant governor needs to consider formally resigning to address this matter and so that the state of Hawai'i can move forward.'

Luke has admitted to accepting the two $5,000 checks but denied taking additional payments and denied that any money influenced her lawmaking. In a social media post, according to Fox News, she stated 'I never granted special favors to a contributor' and pointed to her record of 'prized integrity and honesty throughout her career.' Whether Luke will formally resign or mount a legal defense remains unresolved.