Judge sets September 28 trial date for defendants
The defendants appeared before Judge Ronald Johnson on Thursday, marking their first court appearance since being indicted last week. Their attorneys entered not-guilty pleas on their behalf. None of the four defendants spoke during the proceeding.
In addition to Luke, who serves as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor, the defendants include former state Rep. Ryan Yamane, Ford Fuchigami, and Leo Asuncion. All four were indicted last week in connection with a bribery case.
Johnson accepted the not-guilty pleas and scheduled the trial to begin September 28. The defendants stood beside their attorneys throughout the hearing.