Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and four indicted in Hawaii probe

Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke and four others were indicted on July 25, 2026, on charges stemming from a wide-ranging public corruption investigation. The indictments, handed down by an Oahu grand jury, allege a bribery scheme connected to state COVID-19 testing contracts.

Luke faces charges of criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports. Her bail was set at $80,000. Also indicted were lobbyist and businessman Tobi Solidum; former state representative and former Department of Human Services Director Ryan Yamane; Ford Fuchigami, a deputy director for the Airports Division at the state Department of Transportation; and Leo Asunción Jr., a former member of the Public Utilities Commission and a Luke campaign volunteer. Solidum, who faces multiple bribery and conspiracy counts, has reportedly fled to the Philippines and no bail was set for him.

The charges are rooted in a January 2022 dinner at a steakhouse, where Luke was then a state representative and chair of the powerful House Finance Committee. According to the indictment, Solidum, whose clients had state COVID-19 testing contracts set to expire, gave Luke two $5,000...