Pay To Play: Political Corruption Investigations In Hawaiʻi Over The Years
Investigations began in 2018. Here’s the rundown.
An Oʻahu grand jury is hearing from witnesses today in the state’s investigation of an unnamed lawmaker who took $35,000 in a paper bag in 2022.
Ty Cullen, a former state lawmaker convicted of bribery, was among the first to arrive outside the courthouse early Tuesday accompanied by his attorney Birney Bervar. Cullen was a federal informant and recorded the $35,000 transaction.
The case has embroiled Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who dropped her reelection bid earlier this year and has been on unpaid leave since April.
Here’s what’s happened so far in the corruption investigations:
2018: Federal officials begin investigating a tip from Maui County Council staffers after a wastewater company had received millions in no-bid contracts.
January 2021: Then-state Sen. J. Kalani English is arrested for taking more than $18,000 in bribes from wastewater contractor Milton Choy.
October 2021: Then-state Rep. Ty Cullen is arrested for accepting bribes in the form of cash and poker chips from Choy. Cullen immediately agreed to work with the FBI by secretly recording phone calls and meetings.
January 2022 (Exact date unknown): Sylvia Luke attends a dinner with lobbyist and businessman Tobi Solidum, his stepdaughter Kristen Pae and Cullen. During the meeting, Solidum and his stepdaughter each give Luke a $5,000 check. At the time, Solidum and Pae were involved in government-funded Covid testing contracts through the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaiʻi. Through these contracts, their company profited by at least $7 million, according to court records.
Luke failed to report the donations until years later, after Civil Beat asked about the situation.
Jan. 20, 2022: Cullen records a meeting during which he and another bribery suspect met with an “influential” lawmaker, according to a federal court document that leaves both parties unnamed. The bribery suspect gave the lawmaker $35,000 during this meeting, the court record stated.
It’s still unclear if the meeting Cullen recorded is the same as the dinner Luke attended. Luke said the dinner happened on or around Jan. 20, 2022. Though she admitted years later to accepting $10,000 from Solidum and his stepdaughter, she has repeatedly denied accepting $35,000.
Feb. 8, 2022: Cullen and former Sen. J. Kalani English charged with accepting bribes. English is accused of accepting more than $18,000 in cash, hotel rooms and other benefits in exchange for introducing and killing bills. Cullen is accused of accepting casino chips as well as $23,000 in cash.
Feb. 15, 2022: Cullen and English plead guilty to taking part in a bribery scheme to benefit a Maui wastewater company.
March 2022: Luke told Civil Beat this year that she refunded the $10,000 she received from Solidum and Pae after Cullen was charged. She did not report the contributions or refunds in her campaign finance reports until Civil Beat asked about them
July 5, 2022: English is sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for taking bribes.
April 6, 2023: Cullen is sentenced to two years in federal prison for taking cash bribes. Federal prosecutors file a document with the court outlining Cullen’s assistance with their investigation and recommending a light sentence. The document, called a motion for downward departure, is meant to be redacted.
March 27, 2025: Civil Beat reports on the $35,000 transaction, citing the motion for downward departure, which was improperly redacted and not meant to become public.
Jan. 6, 2026: More than 900 state residents sign a petition, started by attorney Ali Silvert, calling on the Legislature to investigate the mysterious $35,000 transaction.
Jan. 7, 2026: Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez says she will not investigate the transaction for fear that would interfere with an ongoing federal investigation.
Jan. 20, 2026: Lopez reverses course and announces she will launch a state investigation into the $35,000 transaction. Federal officials, who previously had not shared evidence with the state, said they would share materials with state investigators.
Jan. 30, 2026: Civil Beat asks Sylvia Luke and her campaign about $10,000 in refunds Luke gave to Solidum and Pae. She declines to explain.
February 2026: Luke files an amended campaign finance reports showing she received $5,000 each from Solium and Pae.
Feb. 10, 2026: Luke suggests she could be the “influential” lawmaker named in court filings, though she still denies taking $35,000.
April 19, 2026: Luke abandons her re-election bid.
April 22, 2026: Luke receives a target letter from the AG’s Office naming her as a target in its bribery probe. Solidum also received a target letter around this time.
April 23, 2026: Luke announces she will take an unpaid leave of absence and state Comptroller Keith Regan is appointed to serve as acting lieutenant governor.
April 24, 2026: The media reports that former Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission Chair Leo Asuncion Jr. was issued a target letter in the investigation. Asuncion served on Luke’s campaign during her run for lieutenant governor in 2021 and 2022.
May 19, 2026: Former state Department of Human Services Director Ryan Yamane abruptly steps down amid AG’s probe. Yamane, a former state representative, served as chair of the House’s health committee in 2022 and sponsored a bill to appropriate $170 million to the Department of Health for Covid testing. Yamane was questioned by state investigators about millions in taxpayer dollars that flowed through the Department of Health to the Kidney Foundation of Hawaiʻi during Covid.
May 21, 2026: Executive director of the Hawaiʻi Campaign Spending Commission files a complaint against Luke and members of her campaign. The complaint alleges her campaign failed to report more than $50,000 in expenditures, reported more than $30,000 in contributions late and allowed unauthorized campaign staffers to sign off on more than 200 checks.
July 8, 2026: The Hawaiʻi Campaign Spending Commission refers a campaign spending complaint to the AG’s Office for possible prosecution.
