Hawaii's Democratic lieutenant governor indicted in state corruption investigation - Fox News

What the report says

Fox News reports that Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, a Democrat, has been indicted by a grand jury in a state corruption case involving alleged bribery tied to a COVID-19 testing contract. The charges listed in the report include criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and falsifying candidate committee reports. According to the indictment described by Fox, businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum allegedly offered Luke $35,000 connected to a state contract held by a company he recommended.

Fox reports that Solidum was also indicted, along with former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, Hawaii Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami and Leo Asunción, a former Hawaii public utilities official. The case is described as part of a probe by state Attorney General Anne Lopez that began in January and grew out of a federal bribery investigation. Solidum reportedly represented the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, which had state contracts to operate COVID-19 testing sites.

The indictment, as summarized by Fox, says Solidum met Luke at a steakhouse in January 2022 and gave her two $5,000 checks for her campaign committee while discussing additional campaign money. Luke acknowledged receiving the two checks but denied taking more money or allowing donations to affect her official actions. In a social media statement cited by Fox, she denied giving special treatment to contributors and defended her integrity.

Fox reports that Gov. Josh Green urged Luke to consider resigning after the indictment, saying the state needed to move forward while the matter is addressed. The allegations remain accusations at this stage, and the report does not describe any conviction or final court outcome.