West Keliikipi

Pollack scheduled a hearing on the deferral request for 8:30 a.m. on March 17.

If Pollack were to reject the deferral request and find Keliikipi, 24, guilty of the offense, he would face a prison term of up to five years and fine of up to $10,000.

City Deputy Prosecutor Randal Lee, outlined the money scam to Pollack and said Keliikipi was one of approximately eight people to benefit from it.

Lee said a credit card machine at the Kaiser Moanalua Hospital was used by one of the eight people to deduct money from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan account at American Savings Bank between April 8 and May 22 in 2002.

On April 8, 2002, some $10,125.80 was credited to Keliikipi's personal checking account and two days later, he withdrew $9,000 in cash, Lee said. On April 16, 2002, Keliikipi withdrew the remainder of the money, Lee said.

"He had no permission to take or use the money," Lee said.

But Green told the judge that Keliikipi "never intended to steal money from anyone."

"He was approached by a person who said they wanted to help him," Green said.

He told the judge that he recommended Keliikipi plead no contest because when Keliikipi found the money was obtained illegally "he took no steps to repay it." Keliikipi used some of the money to repay his grandmother for a car she had bought for him, Green said, adding that he nonetheless believed there was a "sufficient basis" for bringing the theft charge against Keliikipi.

Under the terms of a plea-agreement with the prosecution, Keliikipi agreed to testify against others in the case, if necessary, and to cooperate with an ongoing investigation by the state Attorney General's Office into an automobile insurance fraud investigation. Neither Green nor Lee would comment on the fraud investigation.

Green said after the hearing that he urged Keliikipi to plead no contest "because I thought it was in his best interest to try to get a deferral to avoid a criminal history," Green said.

Some professional football teams may "look the other way" if a high-round draft choice coming from one of the country's top flight football teams has a prior criminal record, Green said.

"But if someone is coming from a marginal team and is looking at free agency," a criminal record can have a huge detrimental effect, Green said.

Lee said that with Keliikipi's plea this morning, seven of the eight people who were indicted in connection with the Kaiser scam have pleaded guilty or no contest to the charges against them.

Keliikipi thanked UH for supporting him.

"Everybody deserves a second chance, I've learned my lesson," Keliikipi said. "I did whatever it took to get this off my back. When you play for the university, you're supposed to be a star. But when I would walk down the street or the aisle at the grocery store, people would look at me differently," Keliikipi said.

He said he's been invited to play in the upcoming Hula Bowl and still hopes to have a shot at playing professional football.

If football doesn't work out, he said he is considering becoming a firefighter and has been invited to work as a stevedore.

Lee would not say whether he intends to oppose the deferral request at the March 17 hearing.