A gross misdemeanor offense is viewed as a mid-level crime in Minnesota. It’s more severe than a misdemeanor charge but not as significant as a felony-level offense. In general, it carries potential penalties of up to a year in jail and fines up to $3,000.
Gross misdemeanor offenses can also have an affect on your life long after your case is closed. These convictions can stay on your criminal record forever and affect your ability to get a job or secure an apartment. The good news is that even if you are convicted of a gross misdemeanor, you can have the crime expunged from your record. In today’s blog, we explain the process of getting a gross misdemeanor conviction expunged in Minnesota.
Gross Misdemeanor Expungement
At the most basic level, here’s how an expungement works in Minnesota. As long as you have not been convicted of another crime since your original gross misdemeanor conviction, you are eligible to have the gross misdemeanor expunged from your record after four years have passed.
One way that you can increase your likelihood of having your gross misdemeanor conviction expunged is by completing a diversion program. We talk a little more about diversion programs in this blog, but they are essentially education courses that oftentimes include community service or community well-being aspects as it relates to your charge. You can ask your attorney or the City’s Attorney Office to see if you are eligible for a diversion program. If you successfully complete the diversion program, a judge will be more likely to approve your expungement request when you file it.
If you’re considering filing for an expungement, now is a good time to sync up with a criminal defense lawyer, because getting an expungement isn’t as simple as just asking for one. You need to make a case that the benefits of having your record expunged outweigh the benefits of keeping the record public. You need to showcase that having the conviction on your record is causing unfair harm, and that expunging the conviction would not be excessively detrimental to the public.
We have successfully helped a number of clients get their records expunged, and we can do the same for you. For more information, or for help getting any level of crime expunged, reach out to the experienced lawyers at Appelman Law Firm today.
