Four Hawaiʻi public officials pleaded "not guilty" Thursday morning in Honolulu to corruption charges. One indicted lobbyist remains unaccounted for.
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, former Rep. Ryan Yamane, lobbyist Tobi Solidum, former chair of the state Public Utilities Commission Leodoloff Asuncion Jr., and Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami were indicted by an Oʻahu grand jury on July 24 on charges of bribery, use of false statements or entries, obstruction of justice and falsifying candidate committee reports.
The attorneys for the four co-conspirators entered not guilty pleas on their client’s behalf at Oʻahu First Circuit Court. Judge Ronald Johnson scheduled their trial to start on Sept. 28 in front of Judge Paul B.K. Wong.
The indictment alleges that Luke accepted two $5,000 checks from Solidum and his stepdaughter, Kristen Pae, in January 2022 in exchange for approving additional state funds for Covid mitigation measures.
Luke acknowledged in February that she accepted $10,000 from Solidum and Pae in 2022 and failed to report them until this year. Asuncion served as Luke’s campaign treasurer and reportedly claimed that the checks were never deposited into the Friends of Sylvia Luke bank account.
Solidum reportedly sent money to Yamane in 2020 and 2021 and $7,000 to Fuchigami, who worked for the Senate Ways and Means Committee at the time, in January 2022. Yamane sponsored House Bill 2392, later known as Act 5, which appropriated more than $170 million for Covid mitigation between fiscal years 2021-2023.
Luke announced in April that she will take an indefinite leave of absence without pay and Gov. Josh Green tapped Keith Regan, state comptroller and director of the Department of Accounting and General Services, to fill in for Luke in May. The Department of Transportation placed Fuchigami on paid leave after he was named in the indictment. Yamane abruptly retired as director of the Department of Human Services in May amidst the attorney general investigation.
Deputy Attorneys General David Van Acker and Cheuk Fu Lui represented the state Thursday morning.
Richard Sing represented Luke, Eric Seitz represented Fuchigami, Robert Harrison represented Yamane and Deputy Public Defender Edward Aquino represented Asuncion. Bail remains set at $80,000 for Luke, Fuchigami and Asuncion, and $150,000 for Yamane. The four co-conspirators were released on bail Friday, July 24.
Judge Ronald Johnson approved a request from Harrison for Yamane to travel out of state to visit his son on the condition that Yamane submits a travel itinerary. Johnson ordered that the defendants file a waiver of extradition.
Seitz, Fuchigami’s attorney, told reporters after the hearing Thursday that he believes the charges in the case are politically motivated.
“When I was involved in all the big conspiracy cases, or most of them, in the late ’60s and ’70s, the government never got convictions in any of those cases because they’re virtually impossible to prove,” he said. “Why this attorney general thinks that she can do something that many, many more experienced prosecutors have not been able to successfully do, I just don’t know.”
Solidum was not present at the arraignment Thursday morning and is suspected to have fled to the Philippines, according to other local news outlets. A judge issued a no bail warrant for his arrest on July 24.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
