This is not lenient in my book.
It's a good, creative sentence. Leniency would be shrugging off the guy's misrepresentation, giving him "time served" or merely probation.
Public humiliation is an excellent punishment and, even better, a real deterrent to others who might be contemplating the same course of action.
He also did get 4 months of house arrest for telling a lie. This judge is no Vermont idiot.
The only improvement I could suggest is that those fifty hours be one hour at closing time every Friday night and every Saturday night at the local VFW for the next twenty five weeks.
This reminds me of a story a Park Ranger at Yellowstone NP told me about a guy who mistakenly (and illegally) shot a moose when he was hunting elk near the park. Other than both animals having 4 legs, they really don't look much alike at all. When convicted, the Judge sentenced the guy to 7 days in jail. The Judge also had large posters put in his cell, one of a moose, with the caption "this is a moose", and the other of an elk, with the caption "this is an elk", just so this guy would know the difference in the future. Gotta love Judges with a sense of humor......
"This is not lenient in my book.'
I was just joking. I thought it was a good sentence as well.