Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke has been indicted by a grand jury on charges including criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports. The indictment stems from allegations that she accepted a $35,000 bribe from a local businessman and lobbyist, Tobi Solidum, in 2022.
Prosecutors allege that Solidum offered Luke the bribe in connection with a COVID-19 testing contract that a company he recommended had with the state. The indictment states that Solidum met with Luke at a steakhouse in January 2022, shortly before his client's state contracts were set to expire. During the meeting, Solidum allegedly gave Luke two $5,000 checks made out to her campaign committee, Friends of Sylvia Luke. According to the indictment, Solidum told Luke, "By next week, we’ll have 35, so it will be halfway to our 70," implying a promise of $70,000 in total.
Luke has acknowledged accepting the two $5,000 checks but has denied that the funds influenced her lawmaking decisions. She stated on social media that she "prized integrity and honesty above all throughout her career" and "never granted special favors to a contributor."
Solidum, along with former state representative Ryan Yamane, Hawaii's Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and Leo Asunción, a former official for Hawaii’s public utilities commission, were also indicted as part of the state attorney general’s investigation. This probe is an offshoot of a federal bribery investigation.
The indictment further suggests Solidum attempted to leverage Luke's upcoming run for lieutenant governor, with allegations that he told another state representative, "All I gotta do is give her more money now."
Following the indictment, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green called for Luke's resignation. "The lieutenant governor needs to consider formally resigning to address this matter and so that the state of Hawaiʻi can move forward," Green said in a statement to local outlet Maui Now.