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» Sealing and Expunging Your Criminal Record With a Lakeland Criminal Defense Attorney

Sealing and Expunging Your Criminal Record With a Lakeland Criminal Defense Attorney

Have you been arrested and now it is affecting your ability to get a job? Are you afraid your neighbors, co-workers, or your boss might find out that you have been arrested? Then you need to call me to discuss sealing or expunging your record immediately. By sealing or expunging your record I can erase your criminal history. I can get your mugshot off of the Sheriff’s website and erase your arrest information on the clerk’s computer records. By sealing or expunging your criminal record you can, under certain circumstances, lawfully deny that you were ever arrested!

You need to speak to an experienced criminal defense lawyer before you go to court. Your ability to seal or expunge your arrest can be harmed if your charges are not resolved correctly.

With more the internet and websites such as Criminal Searches providing arrest information for free all over the country, you need to protect your reputation and seal/expunge your record before it costs you a job opportunity or promotion.

  • Do I qualify to seal or expunge my arrest/criminal record?
  • They dropped the charges against me, do I still have a criminal record?
  • How long does it take?
  • Can I seal more than one arrest?

What offense may not qualify for sealing or expunging a record?

In order to seal your record, you must not have ANY criminal convictions on your record. This means that if you pled to a criminal charge, you must have received a withhold of adjudication for every criminal charge where you entered a plea.

What does that mean? If you are trying to seal your Possession of Felony Drug Charge because the court withheld adjudication, you can not seal that record (even though you are eligible) because you were adjudicated guilty of another criminal charge no matter how minor, such as Reckless Driving or Driving While License Suspended.

Some criminal charges do not allow you to seal your record (click HERE for a list of crimes that are not eligible for sealing if you pled to the charge). Even if you receive a withhold of adjudication you can not seal a Domestic Violence arrest if you plead guilty or no contest to the charge.

That is why it is so important to speak to an experienced criminal defense charge like me before you enter a plea to a charge so that you can keep your record clean.

They dropped the charges against me, do I still have a criminal record?

If the prosecutor drops the charges against you, your mugshot will still appear on the Sheriff’s website. Your information will still appear in the clerk’s records. That means the records will show you were arrested and charges were dropped against you, but this arrest information is available to the public and employers. You must take the extra step to expunge your record. It is especially important to fight your charges and get them dismissed if you are charged with an unsealable offense listed here. Many times, if I can not get the charges against you dismissed, I can negotiate a plea to a different charge so that you can still seal your criminal record. It’s important you talk to an experienced criminal defense attorney like myself who knows these pitfalls when you are arrested. I can get you the best result so that you keep your criminal record clean and your reputation intact.

How long does it take?

Currently it takes approximately 3 to 5 months to get your record sealed or expunged. This is due to the required Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) background check. Usually, you do not even have to appear in court for me to seal or expunge your criminal record.

Can I seal more than one arrest?

You may only seal or expunge one arrest in your lifetime. However, a court may order the expunction of a criminal history record pertaining to more than more than one arrest if the additional arrests directly relate to the original arrest. I have done this for my clients in the past to make sure their record is clean.

You need to speak to an experienced criminal defense lawyer before you go to court. Your ability to seal or expunge your arrest can be harmed if your charges are not resolved correctly.

PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS…CALL AND SET YOUR FREE CONSULTATION WITH AN EXPERIENCED CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY!

Lakeland, FL (863) 688-4606
Tampa, FL (813) 789-6404