Overview
- An Oahu grand jury returned a 12‑count indictment on Friday charging Sylvia Luke with criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery by a public servant and falsifying candidate committee reports, with some counts carrying up to 10 years in prison.
- Prosecutors say lobbyist Tobi Solidum met Luke at a steakhouse in January 2022, handed two $5,000 campaign checks and promised larger payments tied to securing state COVID‑19 testing contracts for a client.
- Five co‑defendants were charged alongside Luke, including Solidum, former state representative Ryan Yamane, Department of Transportation official Ford Fuchigami, and former Public Utilities Commission official Leo Asunción.
- Luke has been on an unpaid leave of absence since April and ended her re‑election bid when first notified of the probe, and Governor Josh Green has urged her to consider resigning while an acting lieutenant governor carries out duties.
- Luke acknowledges accepting the two $5,000 checks but denies other payments or improper actions, and the case now moves into the state criminal process where the allegations and defenses will be litigated.