Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Eric Chin, the first person sentenced in an overtime scandal that authorities say involved nearly 50 troopers, won't be going to prison.

Chin, 46, of Hanover, was sentenced to one day in prison, which was satisfied by him appearing before Judge Richard G. Sterns at the in federal court in Boston. Sterns ordered him to spend three months of house arrest followed by nine months under supervised release. Chin must pay a restitution fee of $7,125, the amount of money he pocketed for overtime shifts he didn’t work.

“Although I don’t think this incident defines my career, it is ending it,” said Chin, who apologized at the hearing for abusing the trust of the residents, police officers and the courts.

Chin is the first of several officers sentenced in the overtime scandal that ensnared the Massachusetts State Police. He pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement in federal court last year.

Once the highest-paid trooper in Massachusetts, Chin earned $302,400 in 2016 with $131,653 coming from overtime, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s office.

Chin was among the first troopers suspended as authorities investigated whether members of former Troop E skipped overtime shifts they got paid for and falsified traffic tickets. He was fired on Dec. 12, 2018, two months after his plea deal.

Eight troopers have pleaded guilty to federal charges in the overtime abuse scandal.

Three of the troopers face state charges in the overtime investigation. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is investigating overtime abuse at the state level.

Lt. David Wilson is the only one facing both federal and state charges.

The sentencing guidelines called for 6-to-12-months in prison, but U.S. Attorney Mark Grady recommended 3 months in prison, one year of supervised release and paying restitution to the Massachusetts State Police, according to the sentencing memorandum.

Chin’s attorney, Douglas Louison, asked the judge to consider a probationary sentence instead of prison time because Chin immediately took responsibility and because he is the primary breadwinner in his family of four.

“He loses his career. He loses his annual, six-figure salary. He loses his health insurance,” Louison said Monday afternoon.

Stearns said he had to balance Chin’s misdeeds with his 20-plus years of public service and his willingness to admit the crime.

“What I admire about you is your lack of rationalization and attempts to shift blame,” Stearns said.

In the sentencing memorandum for Chin, federal prosecutors stated that troopers who did not meet an 8 to 10 citation quota per overtime shift on the Massachusetts Turnpike would result in a “trooper being blocked from receiving such overtime opportunities.”

A state police spokesman said the agency doesn’t have any policies or procedures regarding quotas.

Federal investigators flagged several troopers who claimed to be on various assignments but partially worked or entirely skipped the four-hour shifts in 2015 and 2016, according to Chin’s sentencing memorandum. One of the programs was Accident and Injury Reduction Effort or AIRE, which required troopers to target motorists speeding or driving aggressively on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Investigators say that troopers didn’t write any tickets for the AIRE patrols they missed during nasty weather. The sentencing memorandum states, “Reminiscent of a grade school ‘snow day,’ these troopers treated the AIRE overtime program as if it were a paid holiday.”

Chin, who earned $75 an hour on overtime, was absent for at least 95 hours of AIRE overtime, according to the sentencing memorandum. He submitted fake or altered tickets, fake payroll submissions and other documents to show he worked the those shifts.

State police began an internal investigation in 2017 and announced in 2018 announced that an internal audit revealed potential overtime abuse. A total of 46 troopers were flagged as part of the investigation.

Authorities said some troopers from the former Troop E would skip AIRE patrols and falsify ticket information to cover up their misdeeds.

Stearns, the judge, said he was puzzled as to why someone who had so much to lose would take the risk over such a small sum. What troubled the judge most, he added, was not the overtime work Chin missed, but the falsification of records and the lengths he went to cover up his misdeeds.

Stearns told Chin he admires him, but that actions do have consequences: “I’m sorry it came to this."