WAILUKU – A former Speedi Shuttle employee who cashed unauthorized paychecks for five months in a kickback scheme was ordered to repay $5,825 to the company.

Ryan Haole, 44, also was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service and was placed on four years’ probation as part of his sentence Friday.

“You have been in prison. You have been paroled. You have been through Drug Court,” 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo told Haole. “Are you tired of this merry-go-round?”

“Yes,” Haole replied.

“You have been going round and round and round in the criminal justice system for many years,” Loo said to Haole. “You have been going through this merry-go-round system. It’s time for you to get off.”

The judge followed a plea agreement between the prosecution and defense in sentencing Haole, who was the first of four co-defendants to resolve his criminal case.

Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Temas said Haole had worked as a driver for Speedi Shuttle from January 2013 to September 2013, when he quit his job. A few weeks later, he was approached by Daniel Kapahu, then the Maui manager for the company, who offered to continue paying Haole with Speedi Shuttle checks if he would give a portion of the money to Kapahu, Temas said.

At first, he said, Haole refused. But, needing money to pay bills, Haole changed his mind and received checks every two weeks starting in October 2013 and continuing until February 2014, Temas said.

He said Haole agreed to meet Kapahu at different locations, usually giving him half of the money. Once, Haole gave Kapahu all but $100 from the check, Temas said.

After receiving 10 checks over the five-month period, “the defendant said he did not feel good about receiving the money” and stopped, Temas said.

He described Kapahu as the “mastermind” of the scheme from June 2013 to March 2014 that also included former company drivers Joshua Awai and Darien Black.

Kapahu, 43, of Makawao; Awai, 25, of Waiehu; and Black, 20, of Kahului have pleaded not guilty to charges and are awaiting trial.

Haole had pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree theft.

“As far as his wrongdoing, he acknowledged it from the start, to the point where he’s willing to act in the interest of justice to bring the other people to justice,” said Haole’s attorney, Jon Apo.

He said Haole was thankful for the plea agreement, in light of his past convictions. According to court records, Haole has convictions for drug possession in a 1997 case.

When he was receiving the checks, Haole said he was “not really thinking it through and weighing the consequences,” including the effect on his family.

Loo said Haole was still going through the Maui Drug Court program of treatment and supervision when the offense was committed. But she said the offense didn’t appear to be drug related.

Haole, who previously spent 26 days in jail in the case, is doing well in his job and was the first defendant to take responsibility in the case, the judge noted.

As part of his probation, Haole was ordered to write a letter apologizing to Speedi Shuttle and to have no contact with Kapahu, Awai and Black.