Is It Possible to Have a White-Collar Crime Conviction Expunged in Pennsylvania?

White collar crimes are nonviolent crimes that are generally financial in nature and tend to involve gaining financial advantage through some form of fraud. In Pennsylvania, white collar crimes can carry jail time and significant fines and can be charged as summary offenses, misdemeanors, or felonies. If you have a white-collar crime conviction on your record, new clean slate laws in the state may apply, and an experienced Pennsylvania white-collar criminal defense attorney can help.

White-Collar Crimes

White-collar crimes relate to the manipulation of information – through deception or the concealment of facts – to one’s own financial advantage. Put more simply, white-collar crimes generally amount to financial fraud, which includes embezzlement. While the State of Pennsylvania has harsh fines and penalties in place for white-collar crimes, the matter becomes federal if any of the following apply:

• If you crossed state lines – either physically or electronically – while committing the crime
• If the crime was committed on federal property in Pennsylvania
• If the crime involved a federal agency, such as the U.S. Postal Service

Because many white-collar crimes are conducted online, they often lead to federal charges, which generally can’t be expunged. 

Expungement vs Sealing

Having a conviction expunged is different than having it sealed, but both come with benefits. In the State of Pennsylvania, an expungement permanently removes the arrest, charge, and conviction from your record, which means it’s destroyed and can’t lead to negative consequences in your life. When a conviction is sealed, on the other hand, the record is hidden, which means it won’t show up in searches like the following:

• Searches made by employers and potential employers
• Background checks
• Searches related to housing
• Searches made in relation to federal student aid

Expungement is a far more complete removal of the white-collar crime on your record, but sealing is a definite improvement over having a white-collar conviction for all to see.

When Expungements Are Possible

Expungements are only available under highly specific circumstances in Pennsylvania, including the following:

• The charge didn’t lead to a conviction.
• You successfully completed an accelerated rehabilitative disposition (ARD) program, which is a form of pretrial intervention for first-time offenders that sometimes applies to white-collar crimes.
• The conviction was for a summary offense, which is the lowest level of offense in the state, and you’ve had at least five arrest-free years since.
• You are at least 70 years old, and you’ve had at least ten arrest-free years since being convicted of virtually any crime.

An Experienced Pennsylvania White-Collar Criminal Defense Attorney Can Help

In some instances, white-collar criminal convictions can be expunged or sealed. Steven Grosh at the Law Office of Stephen W. Grosh is an accomplished Pennsylvania white-collar criminal defense attorney who has the legal insight and experience to help you clean up your record to the fullest degree possible, and he’s on your side. Learn more by contacting us online or calling 717-435-8830 today.