Hawaii AG Launches State Criminal Probe Into Lawmakers, Donors After Federal Evidence

Attorney General Anne E. Lopez told a Honolulu news briefing that the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General opened a state criminal probe in January 2026 after federal authorities indicated they would provide evidence tied to an alleged January 2022 payment of about $35,000, reportedly handed in a paper bag at a meeting or dinner. Lopez said the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Division, created by the Legislature in 2022, is leading the work and that no names or charges will be released at this time.

Lopez identified supervising deputy David Van Acker as the lead prosecutor on the case and said the SIPD team includes two deputy attorneys general, two investigators and two analysts. The AG’s office has issued “multiple subpoenas and completed several interviews” as part of the probe, Lopez said, while stressing limits on public disclosure to protect the rights of potential suspects and the integrity of the inquiry. “I cannot name names. I cannot tell you what evidence we’ve received, and I can’t tell you whether or not a crime has been committed. Revealing this information could jeopardize not only the rights of the suspect or suspects of this investigation, but the entire case,” Lopez said.

The state inquiry follows a yearslong federal bribery investigation that federal prosecutors say covered conduct from 2014 through 2021 and produced convictions of former state Representative Ty Cullen and former Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English for accepting bribes from Honolulu wastewater company owner Milton J. Choy. English was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison; Cullen received a two-year sentence in exchange for cooperating with investigators. Choy died in federal custody in June 2024. Federal agents used Cullen as a cooperating witness, and officials have said Cullen secretly recorded conversations while assisting the FBI; one of those recordings “became the seed of the current state investigation.”

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke acknowledged ties to figures connected to the federal case and confirmed she returned donations linked to associates of Cullen, including $5,000 checks from Honolulu businessman Tobi J. Solidum and from Solidum’s daughter Kristen Pae. Luke said she returned the money because Cullen was charged and that she felt uncomfortable keeping donations tied to his circle. “For me, because I met with Ty, and then another person (Solidum) who gave me a contribution, for me I’m thinking … the circumstances are that it could be me (the lawmaker that the FBI taped allegedly taking $35,000 in a bag). The fact is I didn’t get $35,000 at that meeting or at that dinner,” Luke said.

Good-government groups on the Big Island and statewide have urged additional safeguards. The Clean Elections Hawai‘i Coalition called on Lopez to appoint an independent special prosecutor, saying, “The Executive Branch cannot investigate itself. Public trust in government has been severely impacted by recent revelations. Restoring public trust requires an appropriate arm’s length distance from the interested parties in the Executive Branch.” The coalition includes Common Cause Hawaii, the League of Women Voters of Hawaii and ACLU Hawaii.

Lopez said SIPD was directed by the Legislature to handle public corruption matters and that the department can implement information walls and parallel investigations when necessary. “I have a wall already. My first deputy and special assistant have not received any of the information that I have about this investigation,” Lopez said, adding that she will rely on SIPD’s recommendations in deciding any charging or prosecutorial steps.