On Friday, the grand jury in Hawaii brought forth 12 charges against Vice Governor Sylvia Luke, with the Governor urging her to resign. The charges include alleged conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate campaign committee reports. The case dates back to January 2022, involving an “influential state legislator” accused of accepting $35,000 cash concealed in a paper bag. The State Attorney General’s office initiated an investigation into the matter in January of this year.
According to court documents, Democratic Party member Luke received at least $35,000 in campaign contributions concealed in a paper bag from businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum while serving as a state legislator in 2022 in exchange for supporting the operation of COVID-19 testing sites by the National Kidney Foundation.
Additionally, court records revealed that in January 2022, Solidum, who was then a lobbyist and consultant for the foundation, met Luke at Morton’s Steakhouse and gave her two $5,000 campaign contribution checks. The two also allegedly discussed the allocation of state government funds for testing sites during the meeting.
Luke previously stated that she did not receive the alleged $35,000 cash in a paper bag but admitted to receiving a total of $10,000 in campaign donations from two lobbyists at a dinner in 2022, which she later returned.
Luke has been on indefinite leave since April of this year, with her lawyer confirming that she is under investigation by the Attorney General. Hawaii Democratic Governor Josh Green later told Politico that based on the investigation’s findings, Luke should seriously consider resigning. In a statement, he said, “The Attorney General’s announcement of significant progress in the anti-corruption investigation requires the Vice Governor to seriously consider formally resigning in order to handle the matter appropriately and allow Hawaii to continue its progress.”
As of now, Luke’s office has not provided a public response to the charges. Alongside Luke, four other individuals were indicted by the grand jury on Oʻahu on the afternoon of July 24. This group includes former state representative Ryan Yamane, lobbyist Solidum, Deputy Director of Airports at the State Department of Transportation Ford Fuchigami, and former Chief Financial Officer of Luke’s campaign team Leo Asuncion Jr.
Yamane faces charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery, with bail set at $150,000, the highest among the defendants. Luke, Fuchigami, and Asuncion each have bail set at $80,000, while Solidum, who has been continuously absent from Hawaii, has no bail set by the court.