Attorney General provides scheduled, biweekly update on ongoing investigation into possible public corruption

Attorney General Anne Lopez provided a scheduled, biweekly update on Friday, concerning the ongoing investigation into possible public corruption. This comes after a Feb. 13 briefing in which she vowed to update the public every two weeks on the department’s progress.

Lopez held firm in not releasing the identity of the person or person(s) involved despite concerns that the identity of these person(s) could still be at the legislature while in session. “What I can say is that—continuing to ask that question isn’t helping anybody. While it’s not a distraction for us, I’m not going to answer it, and people just have to be patient,” she said.

It’s been several weeks since federal authorities informed state officials that they would provide to the attorney general evidence concerning an alleged incident involving an unnamed “influential state legislator” who is alleged to have accepted approximately $35,000 in funds. 

When asked if specific individuals had been subpoenaed or questioned, Lopez simply stated, “I cannot comment on that.”

Lopez continued to emphasize her role in the criminal investigation as the Chief Legal Officer of the state under the Hawaiʻi constitution.

“I emphasized and explained how preserving the integrity of this investigation, including the constitutional rights of the subject or subjects of this investigation, is crucial to insuring that justice is served,” said Lopez.

Since she last reported publicly, Lopez said the department has received documents and information from the subpoenas that have been issued. “Currently, forensic analysts are reviewing and examining all of that data, and they will continue to do so as that data comes in. We have also issued more subpoenas and SIPD (the Special Investigations and Prosecution Division) continues to identify and interview witnesses,” Lopez said.

When asked how many subpoenas had been issued in connection to the investigation, Lopez said she could not say, noting the department was not ready to provide details at this time.

Lopez explained that SIPD is charged in part with investigating and prosecuting public corruption in both state and county government. “This commitment has been seen three times just this week,” said Lopez.

She laid out the work SIPD had done just this week:

• On Monday, a Department of Public Safety employee pled guilty to theft in the first degree and official misconduct for manipulating computer records, allowing her to receive more than $64,000 in unearned income. That was investigated by the Department of Hawaiʻi Law Enforcement and SIPD, and prosecuted by SIPD.
• On Tuesday, the attorney general announced a grand jury indicted an investigator with the Honolulu Prosecutors Office for two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of tampering with a witness, and one count of abuse of a household member. SIPD led that investigation and will lead the prosecution. Lopez noted that the defendant is innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.
• On Wednesday, a Hawaiʻi County police officer pled no contest to tampering with physical evidence. That investigation was led by the Hawaiʻi County Police Department and SIPD, and investigated by SIPD.

“It is clear that SIPD takes its job seriously,” said Lopez. “It will bring, and is bringing its commitment to justice to this investigation as well. Nothing is more important to me than insuring that I fulfill the responsibilities of my office. I reiterate, that as the Chief Legal Officer and Law Enforcement Officer of the state under the Hawaiʻi constitution, it is my responsibility to proceed with this investigation,” she said.

Lopez said the speed of the investigation is proceeding “as quickly as possible.”

When asked if the investigation would be finished before the June 2, 2026 filing deadline for political candidates in Hawaiʻi, Lopez said, “Everybody is anxious to hear the answer to that question, and I can’t yet provide you a definitive answer other than to say that SIPD and [I] absolutely understand the impact of what this investigation has, and the importance of wrapping it up as quickly as possible, and then being as transparent as possible so that people can sift through this information.”

Lopez continued to emphasize that the AG is “insulated from political pressure.” She said the attorney general is the only director in state government who cannot be removed from their office without the advice and consent of the Senate.

“This investigation is my responsibility. Neither I nor SIPD will be deterred from doing the job with integrity and with the highest level of ethics,” said Lopez. “We are focused on this investigation, and as I’ve said, we’re not going to be deterred or distracted by what happens in the media.”

The attorney general plans to return in two weeks to provide another update. “Again, I want to caution that I may or may not have any specifics that people are anxious to hear about,” said Lopez.