A Mishawaka native and former professional golfer has been sentenced to a year in prison for embezzling from her employer.
Longtime Michiana residents might remember following the LPGA career of Robin Hood in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. After excelling at Penn High School and earning All-American honors three years at Oklahoma State University, Hood competed in 226 tour events, winning $189,000.
But in recent years Hood stole much more than that from her employer, The New Carlisle Animal Clinic. She pleaded guilty to stealing $549,000 from the practice from 2016 to 2021.
Hood asked U.S. District Judge Damon Leichty for probation only so that she can keep her current job and make restitution payments to the veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Hans. But the judge said the fact she hadn’t started repaying the money yet told him that she should spend some time in prison.
In his sentencing order, the judge wrote that Hood’s fraud had ripple effects. Hans based employee bonuses on profitability, so she hurt her co-workers, and Hans had been positioning to sell his practice, so she damaged his “lifelong pursuit and retirement plans.”
