The 66-year-old lobbyist who donated $10,000 to Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke during a January 2022 dinner is a target of a federal investigation into possible public corruption and an alleged $7 million COVID-19 funding fraud, sources told the Hono颅lulu Star-Advertiser.
Lobbyist Tobi J. Solidum鈥檚 company, Geopolicy Development Group LLC, is listed as the only 91直播-based shareholder of Capture Diagnostics, an Ohio-based company contracted to handle 10,000 to 15,000 COVID-19 tests a day in 91直播 during the pandemic. Capture Diagnostics filed for bankruptcy in federal court in 2025.
Geopolicy, registered in Las Vegas, held 7,584 equity shares in Capture Diagnostics. Solidum and his daughter, Kristen Pae, are listed twice as creditors, using South King Street and Beverly Hills, Calif., addresses. Green Coral Trust, a company controlled by Solidum, Pae and a Beverly Hills attorney, David T. Nguyen, is listed as having a 5.46% ownership stake. Solidum uses the same Beverly Hills address as Nguyen and Green Coral Trust.
Capture Diagnostics alleges in court documents that Solidum鈥檚 company owes it $7 million.
Solidum worked as a lobbyist for the National Kidney Foundation of 91直播 starting in 2015 and was with it during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020.
Capture Diagnostics鈥� first major contract in 91直播 was with the foundation and Synergy Med Global Design Solutions to provide a mobile COVID-19 laboratory for the City and County of Honolulu at the airport, according to a court filing from its attorneys.
鈥淚n 2020, the State of 91直播 began requesting proposals from contractors to provide (COVID-19) testing. Synergy worked in association with Tobi Solidum from Geopolicy Development Group, LLC and The National Kidney Foundation of 91直播 to submit a proposal,鈥� according to the documents.
Solidum鈥檚 Geopolicy Development Group performed 鈥渃ontractual work鈥� in 91直播 for Capture Diagnostics between 2021 and 2023, according to court records.
As the pandemic progressed, the state of 91直播 鈥渨anted to establish two programs: community diagnostic testing and a return to school program鈥� and Capture Diagnostics provided the diagnostic services for these contracts, the company鈥檚 attorneys said in an Aug. 22 federal court filing. 鈥淭he companies grew, and at times required as many as 80 employees and ultimately generated several million dollars in revenues over a two-year period. Unfortunately, due in part to the myriad of parties involved and relatively chaotic management of the COVID programs, the Debtors fell victim to costly contract disputes.鈥�
During a 2022 91直播 News Now documentary about a 鈥減assionate group of visionaries鈥� who stepped up during the pandemic, Solidum said he approached then-Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and told him he had a company that could help if awarded the city鈥檚 no-bid testing contract.
鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 do it then, who would? That鈥檚 the bottom line. Someone had to do something,鈥� Solidum said in the documentary. 鈥淭he pressure that was put on us, basically by Mayor (Kirk) Caldwell was (鈥極K) 鈥� you say you can do it. You better make sure you do it because I need this now. I need this yesterday.鈥欌�� (I told my team) the City & County of Honolulu is very interested in what we can bring to the table.鈥�
Caldwell, in the HNN documentary, said, 鈥淪o Tobi, when he knocked on our door at the mayor鈥檚 office and said 鈥業 have a proposal to make, I think there is a company out there that can do the testing and the capacity and the turnaround you are looking for.鈥�
Honolulu contracted directly with NKFH to manage and operate the mobile COVID testing lab and the foundation, in turn, subcontracted with Synergy for the mobile lab and supplies.
The Kidney Foundation entered into a separate contract with the state to provide a full COVID-19 testing program that could 鈥渄eliver same-day results鈥� and then contracted with Collective Diagnostics to provide the diagnostic laboratory and to 鈥渆xpand its licensure鈥� to include a network of pharmacies that would enable the kidney foundation to 鈥渄eliver on the terms of the State contract,鈥� according to state court records.
To 鈥渟ufficiently manage and operate the various COVID programs,鈥� the Kidney Foundation hired Solidum鈥檚 company, Geopolicy Development Group, the records say.
Capture Diagnostics received $65,978,340 in 2022 and $28,825,576 in 2023 from the NKFH for the COVID-19 testing work, according to federal tax records, for a total of more than $133 million.
Solidum鈥檚 firm worked with DataHouse Consulting Inc. to provide computer 鈥渟oftware programs and other services鈥� and support for the state contract, according to federal court records.
Capture Diagnostics鈥� attorneys allege in an Aug. 22 federal court filing, 鈥淚n September 2021, DataHouse began submitting invoices for (information technology) to Geopolicy for work completed as part of the State contract, but rather than name Geopolicy on the invoice, it named the Debtors. Upon review, the Debtors determined that most of the invoices could not be substantiated, were for services not provided, or were duplicative of services for which the Debtors had previously paid. The Debtors also concluded they had been vastly underpaid by over $1 million from (National Kidney Foundation of 91直播).鈥�
Capture Diagnostics and Synergy eventually 鈥渂ecame embroiled in a contentious dispute over the profit split,鈥� according to federal court documents.
After months of 鈥渉eated disagreements regarding the production and analysis of financial records,鈥� Capture Diagnostics said it believes it is owed at least $2.5 million. Synergy has counterclaimed that it is owed over $20 million by Capture Diagnostics.
Solidum, Pae, Nguyen and John D鈥橭razio, who led Capture Diagnostics in 91直播, did not respond to Star-颅Advertiser requests for comment.
Solidum is believed to have left the U.S. for the Philippines. A number associated with Pae has been disconnected.
The Star-Advertiser asked the U.S. Department of Justice and the state Department of the Attorney General if they questioned Solidum and state and county officials about Capture Diagnostics and campaign contributions surrounding the company鈥檚 rapid rise.
鈥淭he (91直播) Department of the Attorney General generally does not make statements on the existence or status of possible investigations,鈥� the state office said in a statement.
The U.S. Attorney鈥檚 office said it cannot 鈥渃omment on the existence or non-existence of an investigation 鈥� or whether we received, or did not receive, evidence or information from any particular source.鈥�
Caldwell has not been questioned by federal or state investigators, according to his attorney Lex Smith.
Caldwell鈥檚 then-chief of staff, Gary Kurokawa, oversaw Capture Diagnostics鈥� initial contract. His son, Jordan, went to work for Capture Diagnostics. Gary Kurokawa joined him when he left the city.
Smith, who is also Kuro颅kawa鈥檚 attorney, told the Star-Advertiser that neither Kurokawa nor his son were questioned by federal agents or the state attorney general.
Gary and Jordan Kurokawa were investigated by the 91直播 Campaign Spending Commission, which closed the case with no finding of any wrongdoing.
鈥淎pparently somebody thinks the city overpaid to enhance Honolulu鈥檚 testing capability. But in light of the emergency, I submit to you that the City acted very prudently. The testing was provided and no doubt lives were saved as a result,鈥� said Smith, who lost his father-in-law during the pandemic.
鈥楥lerical oversight鈥�
On Monday, Luke acknowledged that she may be the mystery lawmaker who the state Attorney General Office is investigating for allegedly accepting a paper bag with $35,000 at a January 2022 dinner.
But Luke was adamant she did not take $35,000 in a paper bag at the dinner attended by her then-House Finance Committee vice chair turned FBI informant Ty J.K. Cullen.
At the time, Luke led the powerful House Finance Committee, and Cullen was working for the FBI after he and then-state Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English were caught taking cash, casino chips, hotel rooms and other bribes between 2014 and 2021 from the late wastewater executive Milton J. Choy.
Solidum and Choy were friends and Choy鈥檚 company, H20 Process Systems, worked on 鈥渃ontract services鈥� for the Kidney Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to federal tax forms from 2021 and 2022. Choy鈥檚 H20 Process Systems received $727,349 from the Kidney Foundation in 2021, according to the tax records.
A March 2023 federal court document from Cullen鈥檚 bribery case refers to an 鈥渋nfluential state lawmaker鈥� taking money from an unnamed defendant in the presence of Cullen during a dinner on Jan. 20, 2022. That disclosure led to the state attorney general鈥檚 investigation, launched last month, into the alleged incident.
Luke accepted a $5,000 check from Cullen鈥檚 friend, Solidum, and a $5,000 check from Pae. The checks were dated Jan. 20, 2022, and Jan. 21, 2022. They were deposited but not recorded with the Campaign Spending Commission because of a 鈥渃lerical oversight,鈥� Luke told the Star-Advertiser Monday.
Luke returned them to Solidum in March 2022 after Cullen and English pleaded guilty and after she realized Solidum and Choy were friends, she said.
Luke said the $10,000 in donations were recorded with the 91直播 Campaign Spending Commission just last week. The commission is now investigating whether the failure to initially report the $10,000 donations is a violation of state law.
The state attorney general鈥檚 statement this week said, 鈥淭he matter of the $35,000 remains under active investigation. To preserve the integrity of that work, we will not provide further comment on specifics, timelines or the status of the ongoing investigation.鈥�