Legal Question in Criminal Law in Washington

Can a federal conviction be taken off your record

I was convicted of a federal drug offense and a state forgery charge in 1977. Since then I have been in no trouble. I wanted to know if these convictions can be taken off my record and how do I go about doing it since I now live in Texas.


Asked on 8/17/03, 11:06 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Paul Ferris Law Office of Paul T. Ferris

Re: Can a federal conviction be taken off your record

There is currently no statutory authority for expunging federal convictions. For a relevant 9th circuit (WA) opinion, read the case of U.S. v. Diaz [http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/ca9/newopinions.nsf/F9E1190CC414D0B788256C840006A04B/$file/0250031.pdf?openelement]

You may be able to vacate the WA state conviction. Review a summary of requirements for vacating felonies in Washington at www.washrecord.com.

If you received a deferred sentence in the 1977 case and ultimately received an order of dismissal, you simply need to ensure that a copy of the dismissal was forwarded to the Washington State Patrol.

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Answered on 8/21/03, 4:43 pm


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