A federal judge will decide this month whether to make public e-mails and other evidence in an extortion case involving Gov. Linda Lingle's former chief of staff.

Rajdatta Patkar was sentenced on Oct. 29 to one year in prison and ordered to pay $7,348 in restituion to the federal government after he pleaded guilty to trying to extort $35,000 from Bob Awana, who resigned June 29 as Lingle's chief of staff.

Patkar discovered Awana was wooing an Internet girlfriend with promises of money and admission to a Hawai'i nursing school, Patkar's defense lawyer in the case has said. In exchange, the woman would join Awana and members of a state trade mission to the Philippines in January 2006.

Patkar admitted to blackmailing Awana by threatening to make public Awana's extra-marital affair and solicitation of women for entertainment at parties during the trade mission.

The e-mails have prompted the federal government to open an investigation into the behavior of state officials and other members of trade missions to China, South Korea and the Philippines over the past three years.

Part of Patkar's plea deal requires that he cooperate with the separate probe.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright issued an order asking attorneys for Patkar and the government to show why evidence in the case should remain under seal.

Deputy federal public defender Pamela Byrne filed a response yesterday saying Patkar has "no objections."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Connors, who handled the case for the government, said she is preparing to file a response.

Seabright gave both sides until Nov. 20 to show cause.

The sealed evidence includes e-mails between Awana, Patkar and a Filipina whom Awana was attempting to solicit.

In the extortion case, Patkar hacked into the e-mail accounts of his Filipina girlfriend and her friend and discovered e-mails from Awana in September 2005.

According to the e-mails Patkar accessed, Awana attempted to get Patkar's girlfriend, a woman named Julie Mae, to join Awana, his girlfriend Jet Ebale, and his "friends" for a weekend in the Philippines during a trade mission.

Patkar learned of Awana's e-mail after Julie Mae, the woman with whom he was having an online relationship, abruptly cut off contact after months of daily interaction, and he hacked into her e-mail account.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.