A Honolulu Liquor Commission inspector apologized to his family, the public, the commission and Honolulu police officers after pleading guilty in federal court yesterday to a charge of extorting owners of two bars and getting at least $2,000.

James Rodenhurst, 57, who spent 10 years as a Honolulu police officer and four years with the commission, wept after he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy extortion charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren.

"I violated my oath as a liquor control investigator by assisting Mr. Naone and accepting money," he told the magistrate.

Herbert Naone, 57, a former police officer and former chief of Aloha Stadium security, pleaded guilty to the extortion charge earlier.

Rodenhurst, who said he was hospitalized for depression about six months ago and is now on medication, told reporters outside the courthouse he was accepting "full responsibility" for his actions.

"I know I face prison time for violating the public trust and I'm ready to accept this punishment," he said.

Kurren scheduled the sentencing for Aug. 6.

Rodenhurst was one of seven law enforcement officers charged last year with federal felonies as a result of a massive and wide-ranging FBI wiretap investigation into a cockfight gambling operation in Waialua, drug transactions and other illegal activities.

In addition to Rodenhurst and Naone, five Honolulu police officers were charged as well as about 30 other individuals.

One of the five officers already has pleaded guilty. The trials for the other officers are scheduled for July.

Rodenhurst, a night-shift supervisor with the liquor commission, admitted that from 2004 to January 2005, he and Naone received money from the operators of the Volcanoes and Sin City nightclubs in exchange for notifying them when liquor commission inspectors would be going to the establishments.

Naone also threatened to shut down the clubs or send inspectors there if he and Rodenhurst didn't get money, Rodenhurst said.

Rodenhurst said he accepted at least $2,000 in six or seven payments from Naone.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni said the prosecution's case includes a wiretap of the phone of an individual with the clubs, which led the FBI to place wiretaps on the phones of Rodenhurst and Naone.

Rodenhurst told reporters he was placed on leave from his liquor inspector job, but resigned yesterday.

As part of a plea agreement, he agreed to cooperate with authorities. The prosecution has the option of asking for a sentence lower than the federal advisory sentencing guidelines. For Rodenhurst, the guidelines would range from a year to three or four years in prison, Rodenhurst's lawyer Myles Breiner said.

Breiner said Naone and Rodenhurst knew each other from childhood, but Naone exploited their friendship by asking the liquor commission inspector for favors in exchange for only a "small percentage" of money that Naone received.

Naone's sentencing is scheduled for April.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.