State Airports Administrator Ford Fuchigami was placed on paid leave for 30 days, effective Monday, after he and four others were indicted Friday in an alleged criminal conspiracy to bribe state officials to secure money for COVID-19 testing during the pandemic.

The state Department of Transportation confirmed the department-directed personnel action in a statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Fuchigami, who also for a period, is charged with felony conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, use of false statement and obstruction of justice.

His alleged co-conspirators include Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who at the time was chair of the powerful House Finance Committee; former state lawmaker and ex-director of the state Department of Human Services Ryan Yamane; former Luke campaign official and onetime Public Utilities Commission chair Leo Asuncion Jr.; and businessman and lobbyist Tobi Solidum, who is believed to be in hiding in the Philippines since 2024.

They are scheduled to be arraigned and enter pleas at 8:30 a.m. Thursday before Oahu Circuit Court Judge Ronald G. Johnson.

The five were indicted Friday by an Oahu grand jury before warrants were issued for their arrest. Fuchigami turned himself in to the state Department of Law Enforcement at 5:11 p.m. Friday and was released after posting $80,000 bail.

Luke, who is on an indefinite, unpaid leave of absence as lieutenant governor, turned herself in to state sheriff’s deputies at 3:50 p.m. Friday and was released after posting $80,000 bail. She earlier ended her reelection campaign and Gov. Josh Green has called on her to resign.

Yamane also turned himself in Friday and was released after posting $150,000 bail. Green forced Yamane to retire after he was questioned by state investigators.

Asuncion Jr. surrendered to sheriff’s deputies at 3:15 p.m. Friday and was released after posting $80,000 bail.

According to the indictment, Solidum allegedly wrote a $7,000 check to Fuchigami on Jan. 30, 2022, from Solidum’s business, Geopolicy Development Group LLC. At the time, Fuchigami was working for the state Senate Committee on Ways and Means. The next day, Fuchigami reportedly deposited the check into his American Savings Bank account.

Two days later, on Feb. 2, 2022, Solidum, Yamane and Fuchigami met to discuss the emergency appropriation for COVID-19 services for the state Department of Health. During an interview with the AG’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division, Fuchigami allegedly told investigators he never received money from Solidum.

Prosecutors allege that Solidum gave the money to Fuchigami with the intent to influence his “exercise of discretion or other action in his official capacity” as a Ways and Means Committee staffer.

Fuchigami spent more than 30 years in the hospitality, healthcare and laundry industries before being appointed deputy director for DOT’s Airports Division by former Gov. Neil Abercrombie in 2011. He became DOT director in May 2014 and also served in that position under Gov. David Ige before becoming a top adviser to Ige from 2017 to 2019.

In that role, Fuchigami coordinated essential business and discussions between the state and various industries, served as the lead liaison between the Governor’s Office and various state agencies, and administered management improvement programs, according to a 2017 news release from Ige’s office.

Fuchigami started his tenure at DOT as the Airports Division deputy director in January 2011. As DOT director, he oversaw 2,600 employees, 15 commercial and general aviation airports, 10 commercial harbors and nearly 2,500 miles of state highways.

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