HONOLULU -- A man who not long ago was Hawaii's most powerful labor leader said Monday he is broke and desperate for money.

Gary Rodrigues was convicted of fraud last year and faces prison. Now, he can't get the union he ran to pay his pension.

Rodrigues held on to his $200,000 job at the United Public Workers union until shortly after a jury agreed he took cash kickbacks and with his daughter defrauded the union of hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, in state court Monday his lawyer told a judge Rodrigues is practically starving.

"I don't think there is any basis for assuming that he's socked away any money or that he is a wealthy man, but the fact of the matter is he has no resources on which to pay his bills and live right now," Rodrigues' attorney Eric Seitz said.

Rodrigues even tried applying for unemployment, but was denied because he voluntarily retired.

Rodrigues said the UPW owes him more than $750,000 for 20 years of built up vacation, sick leave and pension. So far, UPW trustee Peter Trask has refused to pay.

The attorneys for the UPW's new boss did not say why they are holding back Rodrigues' pension. It could be they are waiting to see how much restitution the federal court requires Rodrigues to pay the union. In the meantime, Rodrigues attorney said he suspect the union is trying to starve him out so that he will accept less than he is entitled to.

"Mr. Trask is just stonewalling. It's intentional and it's punitive," Seitz said.

Rodrigues grimaced Monday when the court put off a decision. Rodrigues is to be sentenced in June, so he might be in prison before he gets his money.