Former convention center chief gets probation, $4,000 fine in tampering case

Robert Hodge, the former director of the Austin Convention Center, pled guilty in district court Friday to five misdemeanor counts of tampering with a government record.

Judge Bob Perkins sentenced Hodge to two years probation, and ordered him to complete 160 hours of community service and pay a $4,000 fine. Hodge was also required to submit a formal letter of apology to the city, which he has already done, says assistant district attorney Patty Roberts, who is also chief of the DA's white-collar crimes unit.

A grand jury indicted Hodge on December 21 on multiple counts of altering convention center customer service surveys.

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Hodge, who began directing the city's Convention Center Department in 1994, was fired shortly after the investigation began in March 2007.