Lt. Gov. Luke, four others indicted in political corruption probe
An Oahu grand jury has indicted Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and four others as part of the state attorney general’s months-long political corruption probe.
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After hearing evidence all day, the grand jury indicted Luke for criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and falsifying candidate committee reports. Her bail was set at $80,000.
Also indicted were:
— Former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, who is also the former director of the Department of Human Services, for conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery. His bail was set at $150,000
— Ford Fuchigami, deputy director for the Airports Division at state Department of Transportation, for conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, use of false statement, and obstruction of justice. Bail was set at $80,000.
— Leo Asuncion Jr, a former Luke campaign volunteer and Public Utilities Commission member, for falsifying candidate committee report, use of false statement, and obstruction of justice. Bail was set at $80,000.
— And lobbyist and businessman Tobi Solidum for four counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of bribery. No bail was set for Solidum who has fled to the Philippines.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Hawaii Department of the Attorney General investigators and prosecutors were presenting evidence to an Oahu grand jury today in their criminal public corruption investigation that has ensnared Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and some of her supporters.
Defense attorneys and their clients, including state Department of Health officials, a former Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission official, the daughter of a lobbyist, have filed in and out of the grand jury room on the third floor of the Circuit Court building in Honolulu.
The presentation of evidence signals the end of a nearly six month long state criminal investigation that started with evidence turned over by federal prosecutors from their ongoing corruption investigation.
The attorney general’s office declined to comment today.
“We do not comment on non-public prosecutorial processes or whether specific prosecutorial steps have occurred, are occurring, or may occur. Accordingly, we have nothing further to add,” officials said in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “The Department will provide public information when it is appropriate to do so and when doing so will not compromise the integrity of the process.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Green told Hawaii News Now that a major announcement in the state case was “imminent” and that “there will be a fair amount of closure quite quickly for everyone.”
Asked about those comments today, the attorney general’s office told the Star-Advertiser in statement, “The Department of the Attorney General can’t comment on the governor’s remarks. The department remains committed to conducting this investigation independently and will provide additional information when it is appropriate to do so.”
Today’s development come after seven months of investigations and political upheaval at the State Capitol.
On Jan. 16, the U.S. Department of Justice gave Hawaii Attorney General Lopez evidence about an incident involving an unnamed state legislator who allegedly took $35,000 in campaign contributions. Four days later, Lopez announced an investigation into an “influential state legislator,” who allegedly agreed to accept $35,000 in campaign contributions at a 2022 dinner.
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The dinner occurred on Jan. 20, 2022, and reportedly included then-state Rep. Luke, then-state Rep. Ty J. K. Cullen, businessman and lobbyist Tobi J. Solidum and Solidum’s stepdaughter Kristen Pae. At the time, Luke was chair of the powerful House Finance Committee.
Luke’s attorney, David Louie, told Lopez that Luke and her campaign retained him as their attorney on Feb. 5, four days before Luke told the Star- Advertiser and other media that she may be the “influential state legislator” recorded by the FBI allegedly discussing $35,000 in campaign contributions.
The state AG’s investigation is based on evidence from the long-running federal probe that included evidence gathered from the 2022 dinner, which was recorded by Cullen who was working as an FBI informant.
On April 23, Luke announced she was taking an indefinite, unpaid leave of absence as lieutenant governor after receiving a state attorney general’s office letter informing her that she was a target of a separate bribery investigation. She also ended her reelection campaign.
The ongoing state investigation has included over two dozen interviews and reviews of thousands of pages of documents, including emails and text messages.
During the investigation the attorney general’s office notified Luke, Solidum, 66, and one of Luke’s volunteer campaign treasurers, Leo Asuncion Jr., that state investigators have found evidence supporting possible bribery charges. Solidum is also a target of a separate federal investigation for his role in an alleged $7 million COVID-19 funding fraud. He reportedly fled to the Philippines.
On May 19, Gov. Josh Green told Ryan Yamane, a former state legislator and the governor’s 2024 appointee to lead the Department of Human Services, to step down after Yamane was questioned about allegations of public corruption involving Hawaii’s COVID-19 testing contracts during the pandemic as part of the attorney general’s probe.
Separate investigation
In addition to the attorney general investigation, the Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission conducted a separate probe into Luke’s campaign finances.
The commission voted unanimously this month to refer Luke and her campaign to the state Attorney General for potential criminal prosecution for 251 alleged violations of state campaign finance law.
Luke’s campaign allegedly did not report $52,657 in expenditures and more than $32,000 in contributions that were documented in the campaign’s accounting records. Luke, who ended her campaign for reelection and went on unpaid leave amid an ongoing state criminal investigation, has said the errors are her fault.
Commission staff investigated Luke’s campaign spending for the reporting period of July 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2022.
Commission Executive Director Kristin E. Izumi-Nitao filed the civil complaint against Luke, the Friends of Sylvia Luke, and campaign staff who worked as Luke’s treasurers. Treasurers named in the 39-page civil complaint are Luke’s husband Michael Luke, Emmanuel Zibakalam, Leodoloff R. Asuncion Jr., Kalowena Komeiji and Matthew W. Sasaki.
