The “Digital Life Sentence”: What to Do When You Can’t Expunge Your Record

By: John Guidry

It’s time for some shocking news, so brace yourself. People lie. People make accusations that aren’t true, or they make accusations that cannot be backed up by evidence. If you’ve ever been the victim of such dishonesty, your case was probably dismissed—but the scars remain.

For those of you who have been falsely accused, is there ever an apology? No. Are you given two tickets to SeaWorld for the inconvenience? No.

The good news is, we can usually remove the scorn of a wrongful arrest through a process called Sealing or Expunging. The Bad News: Many people don’t qualify.

Did a $50 ticket from 1999 ruin your chance to clear your name today?

Don’t let the past destroy your future. Call John today at (407) 423-1117.

The “Disqualified” Trap (How a $50 Fine Ruins Your Life)

Here is a real-life example of how a minor prior case can destroy you decades later:

• 2017: A client is arrested for Armed Home Invasion. It is a bogus arrest. The charges are completely dropped.
• The Aftermath: He cannot get an apartment or a job because the arrest still shows up.
• The Solution: We attempt to Expunge the Home Invasion case.
• The Denial: The State denies the application because of a Driving While License Suspended ticket from 1999 where he paid a $50 fine.

Yikes. Florida law is strict: If you have ever been convicted (adjudicated guilty) of any crime—even a criminal traffic ticket—you are banned for life from sealing or expunging any future case. Even if you are innocent of the new charge, that old $50 fine anchors it to your record forever.

The “Hail Mary”: Vacating the Old Plea

If you are disqualified, is all hope lost? Not necessarily. In the scenario above, our strategy is to attack the 1999 conviction.

• The Maneuver: We file a motion to overturn or “vacate” the old plea. If we can convince a judge to retroactively change that 1999 “Guilty” to a “Withhold of Adjudication,” the roadblock is removed.
• The Reality: The legal foundations are shaky, and you need a very flexible judge, but it is often the only path to clearing your name.

The “Google Defense”: Mugshot Removal

If we can’t clear the official record, we must clean up the Internet Record. Your first line of defense is a neutral Google search. Most employers Google you long before they run an official FBI check.

The Mugshot Racket The publication of booking photos is a newspaper tradition, but the internet turned it into an extortion racket. Companies scrape sheriff websites, post your mugshot, and demand hundreds of dollars to take it down.

Steps to Take:

1. Google Yourself: Type “YOUR NAME, arrest.” If a mugshot pops up, you have to fix it.
2. Check the “Contact Us”: If your case was dropped, some sites will remove it for free if you send them the dismissal paperwork (Disposition).
3. Beware of Scams: I cannot recommend specific removal companies because the pricing is suspect. One client was quoted $10,000 for something another lawyer did for $3,800. Be careful.

John’s 2026 Update: SB 118 & Google’s De-Indexing

Note: In 2018, Florida passed SB 118 to stop mugshot extortion. The results have been mixed, but technology has provided a new solution.

1. The Failure (and Success) of SB 118 Florida Statute 901.43 (passed as SB 118) makes it illegal for a company to charge a fee to remove a mugshot.

• The Good: Legitimate companies stopped charging.
• The Bad: The “scam” sites simply moved their servers to Russia or Panama. They ignore Florida law and continue to extort people. They know you can’t sue a server in a basement in Eastern Europe.

2. Google to the Rescue (De-Indexing) Since we can’t sue the Russian websites, we go to the gatekeeper: Google.

• New Policy: Google now has a specific policy for “Exploitative Removal Practices.” If a site charges for removal, Google will De-Index (hide) that page from search results.
• The Fix: We don’t fight the website; we file a request with Google. Once Google hides the link, the mugshot effectively ceases to exist for 99% of employers.

3. AI Scrapers are Faster In 2026, AI bots scrape jail rosters instantly. Your mugshot is often online before you bond out.

• Reputation Management: Because the scrapers are so fast, we now recommend “burying” the bad results. We help clients create LinkedIn profiles, personal websites, and professional blogs to push the mugshot to Page 10 of Google, where no one looks.

Don’t Let the Internet Define You

If you are blocked from expungement, you still have options. We can attack the old conviction or scrub the search results.

Call me at (407) 423-1117. Let’s clean up your digital footprint.

About John Guidry II

John Guidry II is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and founder of the Law Firm of John P. Guidry II, P.A., located in downtown Orlando next to the Orange County Courthouse, where he has practiced for over 30 years. With more than three decades of experience defending clients throughout Central Florida since 1993, Guidry has successfully defended thousands of cases in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Brevard, Lake, and Volusia counties. He has built a reputation for his strategic approach to criminal defense, focusing on pretrial motions and case dismissals rather than jury trials.

Guidry earned both his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from St. Louis University in 1993. He is a member of the Florida Bar and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His practice encompasses the full spectrum of Florida state criminal charges, with a particular emphasis on achieving favorable outcomes through thorough pretrial preparation and motion practice.

Beyond the courtroom, Guidry is a prolific legal educator who has authored over 400 articles on criminal defense topics. He shares his legal expertise through his popular YouTube channel, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, where he has built a substantial following of people eager to learn about the law. His educational content breaks down complex legal concepts into accessible information for the general public.

When not practicing law, Guidry enjoys tennis and pickleball, and loves to travel. Drawing from his background as a former recording studio owner and music video producer in the Orlando area, he brings a creative perspective to his legal practice and continues to apply his passion for video production to his educational content.