Criminal Defense
Since 1993
Since 1993
How to Start Erasing Your Criminal History
Let’s talk about how to start sealing and expunging your record. You’re going to need to get a packet together and send it to F.D.L.E. That is really what starts the sealing expunge process.
But technically, the process starts before that packet is sent off because you have to figure out whether you even qualify to do this process.
Here’s how you start it. You start by getting the Certificate of Eligibility filled out, it has to be signed in front of a notary and if you’re gonna expunge something the prosecutor has to sign that piece of paper too. So, the very people that wanted to put you away now have to sign off on this document before you can even get started. But, once you’ve got their signature, once it’s notarized, you’ve also got to get a certified copy of the disposition in the case and you’ve got to get a set of fingerprints done.
Do not do your fingerprints at FedEx or Kinkos, that will blow up this whole process. You’ll be rejected. You have to get your fingerprints done at a law enforcement agency. Go to the sheriff or go to your local police department.
Got that? Now, those are your three main pieces of paper to get this party started, except the cherry on top is a check or money order made out to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for $75. Put those four things together, wrap them up, mail them to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement in Tallahassee. And after you ran around and were aggravated, to put all that together–they will, they’ll sit on this thing for six months. It takes them forever to review this packet. Once they’re done reviewing it, I
hope you get a Certificate of Eligibility–that’s your ticket to start the hard work in the case, which we won’t get into now.
But the easy part is getting this packet together and, of course, if you hire my law firm, we put the packet together, we send it to FDLE, we deal with them so you don’t have to. But you can do this part yourself because it’s really the easy
breezy part of the process. I do wish you luck in your quest, if you have any questions, you know where to find us. Have a great day.