Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports related to an alleged bribe she received while serving as a state lawmaker in 2022. The indictment claims that Tobi Solidum, a local businessman and lobbyist, offered Luke a $35,000 bribe in connection with a COVID-19 testing contract.
Solidum, along with four others including former state representative Ryan Yamane and Hawaii Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, was also indicted as part of the investigation led by state Attorney General Anne Lopez, which stemmed from a federal bribery probe. The indictment details a meeting in January 2022 where Solidum allegedly provided Luke with two $5,000 checks for her campaign committee.
Luke has acknowledged accepting the checks but denies receiving any additional funds or allowing money to influence her legislative actions. Following the indictment, Hawaii Governor Josh Green urged Luke to resign to allow the state to move forward.