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.
I see. And how do you know if they are useless when you don't even know what their job is? This country is currently suffering from lack of skilled labor, such as electricians. So what did "they" do? "They" gutted the federal apprenticeship...