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Impact of a Henrico County Criminal Charge

In addition to any criminal penalties levied against you, a criminal charge and conviction can have many other consequences as well including an impact on your immigration status and your security clearance. To learn more and see how you may be able to avoid the many pitfalls of a criminal charge, consult with a Henrico County criminal lawyer today.

How A Criminal Charge Can Impact Your Immigration Status

A criminal conviction in Henrico County can definitely affect your immigration status. If it is a felony conviction, it could result s a conviction for crimes of moral turpitude like larceny something of that nature or a crime with a one year jail sentence even if that sentence is suspended, it could also result in deportation.

In addition, some convictions whether they are even for minor charges like trespassing or petty larceny can result in your inability to apply for or receive permanent citizenship status in the Unites States or to renew your citizenship status in the United States.

How a Charge Can Impact Your Security Clearance

A criminal conviction in Henrico County can also affect your security clearance. Obviously, it will depend on the type of security clearance you have, but even the most minor charge like a reckless driving charge which is a class 1 misdemeanor can have damaging consequences for purposes of your security clearance.

What Do You Tell Clients Who Have a Security Clearance?

With clients who have issues with their security clearance, we advise them of how a criminal charge could affect their security clearance or could cause them to lose their job or ability to be promoted. Next, what we’re going to talk them about is what alternatives might be available to the conviction. We want to provide options like community service or a license suspension versus an active jail sentence or reduction. Other options may be seeking a higher fine to get the charge reduced so that the conviction does not create problem for the security clearance.

How Representing Someone With a Security Clearance is Different

Individuals with security clearance issues differ than most clients in that their priorities are different. In many cases, individuals with security clearance concerns are willing to accept much higher fines, much longer license suspensions, or community service in lieu of their conviction.  These alternative sentencing options allow us to negotiate more freely with prosecutors in getting a case reduced or amended to a charge that will not be detrimental to a security clearance.

Impact of a Criminal Charge on An Out of State Resident

The main recommendation if you are from another jurisdiction and you’re charged in Henrico County would be first and foremost to speak with a local attorney, an attorney that knows the procedures and the policies in Henrico County and knows how they treat specific crimes.

If you’re from another state and you’re charged in Henrico County, it is even more important to speak to a local attorney from Henrico County. You’re going to want to understand obviously the differences between how the laws apply in Henrico versus your own s also very important just to understand kind of the uniqueness of Henrico County, how the judges and the prosecutors treat cases that may differ substantially from your own state.

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