Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and three others who are accused of orchestrating a bribery conspiracy to get state money to pay for COVID-19 testing contracts during the pandemic pleaded not guilty this morning.

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Luke, who at the time of the alleged crimes in 2022 was chair of the powerful House Committee on Finance, former state lawmaker and ex-director of the state Department of Human Services Ryan Yamane, ex-Luke campaign official and former Public Utilities Commission chair Leo Asuncion Jr. had their lawyers enter their not guilty pleas before Oahu Circuit Court Judge Ronald G. Johnson.

Businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum, who is also charged in the case, fled to the Philippines in 2024. A no-bail warrant was issued for his arrest. State law enforcement is working to find Solidum.

Luke, who arrived at court this morning with her security detail of state Sheriff’s deputies and attorney Richard H.S. Sing, declined comment after entering her plea.

Yamane and his attorney William A. Harrison, Fuchigami and his attorney Eric A. Seitz, and Asuncion and his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Edward Aquino, all declined comment as they left Johnson’s courtroom this morning.

The trial in the case is set for Sept. 28. Luke is on unpaid leave and ended her re-election campaign.

During grand jury proceedings Friday, the state Department of the Attorney General presented evidence uncovered during a six-month investigation spurred by a separate federal criminal case involving $35,000 given to an “influential lawmaker” in 2022.

Luke, who told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in February that she may be the “influential lawmaker” being investigated but didn’t take the money, was indicted for criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and falsifying candidate committee reports. She is free on $80,000 bail.

Luke is accused of agreeing to accept up to $70,000 in campaign contributions if she helped secure funding to support a lobbyist’s multi-million dollar COVID-19 testing contract.

­Solidum was charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of bribery after he allegedly bribed Luke and others with campaign contributions, checks and cash.

In 2022, Solidum was working on the state’s contract with the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii to provide community testing for COVID-19.

He is also the subject of a separate federal investigation after bankruptcy filings allege he made off with at least $7 million from the testing contracts. A no-bail warrant was issued for ­Solidum, who liquidated his assets and fled to the Philippines, according to the AG’s office.

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Yamane, who is also the former director of DHS, is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery after he allegedly took at least $7,000 to push Solidum’s agenda with the Health Department and for emergency funding from the Legislature, according to the 30-page indictment.

Yamane also allegedly fed Solidum information about COVID-19 funding policy and reported rival testing contractors at Solidum’s direction.

In May, Green told Yamane to resign after the former state legislator was questioned in the investigation.

Yamane is free on $150,000 bail.

Fuchigami, airports administrator for the state Department of Transportation, is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, use of false statement, and obstruction of justice.

While working as staff for the Senate Committee on Ways and Means in 2022, Fuchigami, who once served as Department of Transportation director and a top aide to Gov. David Ige, allegedly deposited a $7,000 check from Solidum into his American Savings Bank account on Jan. 31, 2022.

Two days later, on Feb. 2, 2022, Solidum, Yamane and Fuchigami met to discuss the emergency appropriation to DOH, according to the indictment.

During an interview with the AG’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, Fuchigami allegedly told investigators he never received money from Solidum.

Fuchigami is free on $80,000 bail. He was placed on paid leave for 30 days, effective Monday.

Asuncion Jr., a former Luke campaign volunteer and former PUC chair, was charged with falsifying candidate committee reports, use of false statement, and obstruction of justice.

From Jan. 20 to July 14, 2022, Luke and Asuncion allegedly falsified a report to the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission by failing to include Solidum’s $5,000 and his daughter Kristen Pae’s $5,000 campaign contributions to Friends of Sylvia Luke, prosecutors said. Asuncion is free on $80,000 bail.

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