A former investigator in city prosecutor Peter Carlisle's office pleaded guilty yesterday to theft of city funds and illegal use of city computers.

Craig Whang entered the plea before Circuit Judge Richard Perkins and will be sentenced Nov. 26.

Authorities began an investigation in 2003 of Whang's use of city funds to purchase ammunition and other law enforcement equipment that he stored at his Mililani home.

He said at the time that his superiors knew about and approved of his activities.

In 2004, after leaving his job on stress-related leave of absence, Whang sued the city, alleging that the criminal investigation was retaliation for complaints he filed about workplace violence. That suit is pending.

Whang was indicted in 2006 on multiple charges of illegal diversion of city funds, a case handled by the state attorney general's office.

All the ammunition and other equipment that he purchased was recovered.

Last week, a new criminal complaint was filed against him by the state, listing 12 counts of unauthorized computer access while he worked at the prosecutor's office.

Yesterday, in a plea agreement, Whang pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and two counts of illegal use of the computers.

His lawyer, Myles Breiner, said Whang is seeking a deferred acceptance of his guilty plea. If accepted by Judge Perkins, the deferral would not result in a criminal record for Whang if he is not arrested or convicted for a specified time.

Breiner said the computer access charges involved activity that others besides Whang in the prosecutor's office often engage in, but Whang was singled out because of the civil suit he is still pursuing.

Whang's wife was working as a process server and Whang looked up information on his city computer that was helpful to his wife in her job, Breiner said.

What Whang did "was no different from what other investigators in the office did and continue to do for other people," Breiner said.

"Technically, what he did was a violation of the law," Breiner said. "He has chosen to plead guilty because he wants to move on with his life."

Whang is "a well-recognized and well-thought-of swimming coach" and wants to pursue that career, said the lawyer.

If the deferred guilty plea is granted, Whang "will be able to resume coaching," according to Breiner.