A federal judge has ordered a California woman to pay more than $20,000 in fines after she pleaded no contest to filing a bogus distress call that led to a Coast Guard search three years ago.

U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway on Monday ordered Christine E. Stark to pay $11,775 in restitution to the Coast Guard and a $10,000 fine for filing the false report. Stark, of Santa Cruz, Calif., also was placed on three years probation and four months home confinement.

On Aug. 28, 2003, Stark was picked up from waters off Maui by the sailing vessel Kiele V. She told the boat's master that she was one of seven people adrift from a capsized canoe off the coast of Moloka'i.

The master relayed the information to the Coast Guard, which began a rescue mission. An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched from Barbers Point and a 24-foot rescue boat was sent from Maui to search for victims.

Maui police and fire personnel also joined the search.

After Stark was brought to Maui, however, her story began to fall apart, the Coast Guard said. She then told the Coast Guard that the six other people had made it safely ashore.

In the aftermath of the incident, the Coast Guard and federal prosecutors pursued the charges against Stark.

"False distress calls not only place Coast Guard members at increased risk and cost taxpayers money, but more importantly, they divert Homeland Security resources from mariners who could actually be in distress," said Cmdr. Francis Genco, chief of the Coast Guard's search and rescue branch in Honolulu.

Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Michael De Nyse said rescues are "quite expensive." He said a Coast Guard aircraft can cost $4,000 an hour to operate and a boat another $1,500 an hour.

"A hoax is not cheap," De Nyse said.

By pleading no contest, Stark avoided a possible sentence of six years in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Shipley.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.