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Hawaii's former state representative, Fil-Am Ty Cullen, reportedly plans to plead guilty after he was charged with accepting bribes worth tens of thousands in exchange for legislative actions. Cullen was charged along with former Senate Majority Leader J. Kalani English.

Cullen resigned on Tuesday. His lawyer says Cullen takes responsibility for his actions and is cooperating with federal investigators.

Retired state senator William Espero is dismayed by the developments. "Many people looked up to him and, for the Filipino community, it's a very sad day for us, and for his district, and for the whole state for that matter. You'd never expect this, I never expected it. There was no hint or no reason to even think it," Espero said.

According to court documents, Cullen received casino chips and four cash payments totaling $23,000 from September 2019 to March 2020. He allegedly received the largest amount in 2014 during a gambling trip to New Orleans.

Cullen was charged with one count of honest services wire fraud, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, with a $250,000 fine. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday in federal court.

Meanwhile, beginning this week, the Hawaii Democratic Party will submit three nominations before Governor David Ige to replace Cullen. Ige will make the appointment by April 9.

For city council candidate Ikaika Hussey, the issue goes beyond replacing Cullen.

"I don't think though that this is something you can just replace with someone better, and hope that it changes. The corruption is systemic as long as the government is responsive to the interests of capital," Hussey pointed out.

Cullen was first elected to the State House in 2010 and represented District 39 which includes Royal Kunia, Village Park, Waipahu, Makakilo, and West Loch. He also served as vice chair of the House Committee on Finance.