A grand jury has indicted Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke on charges including criminal conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and falsifying candidate committee reports, in a case tied to an alleged $35,000 bribe paid to her in 2022 while she was a state lawmaker. Experts are calling it the largest bribery scandal in Hawaii state history.
Four others were indicted alongside her: former state representative Ryan Yamane, businessman/lobbyist Tobi Solidum, Transportation Department official Ford Fuchigami, and former public utilities commission official Leo Asunción — a 12-count indictment in total, following a multi-year state attorney general investigation.
This is exactly the kind of follow-the-money, name-the-names story that fits an Investigations lead — worth tracking through arraignment and trial.