A former Hobart Employee has been sentenced to a year in a federal prison after he told the court that he has a pathological gambling addiction and that that was why he and his wife stole almost $400,000 from the former Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters.

The man, 54, was given a sentence last week to 12 months and one day in a federal prison. The man was also ordered to repay the all the money he stole from the carpenters union. He must pay at least $100 a month. The man could have received up to 18 months of jail time.

According to the mans lawyer "From the minute this was discovered, I think my client has been nothing but cooperative with the government and the union, which helped in his sentencing"

Since his arrest he has moved to Omaha where he has been working three jobs and is seeing a therapist on a regular basis to help him get over his gambling addiction.

The man was giving 3 separate tests to determine the depth of his addiction to gambling and as a result of these tests he was given a pathological gambling diagnosis from the Omaha's Heartland Family Service.

The man's wife, 51, was a bookkeeper for the union and is expected to be sentenced latter this year, after also pleading guilty.