To properly fix a hole in the skin, especially on the leading edge of a wing, it takes removal and replacement of an entire panel- which has many rivets holding it in place. Once they did that, they would have also have done airframe inspections...
I'm not sure if the fine is more important or not. If this is the guy I think it is, he can afford the fine. But if the conviction is a felony, then the jail time may mean more. Being a convicted felon limits some of your rights and freedoms.