Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 12/12/2008

Question
would i be able to join the navy i have a shoplifting charge as a juvenile,and a disorderly conduct when i was 18 ,and also 3 unlawful possession of marijuana (tickets because in new York state you are only ordered to pay a fine of $250.00) and also a forth UPM when i was 20 i was young and dumb but now i have grown up and im 22 and haven't been in trouble since. Would i still be eligible
-thanks

Answer
Dear Matt --

You have a difficult case.  Your juvenile shoplifting will likely not be a problem but you have 4 unlawful possession offenses, and a disorderly conduct charge.  That makes 5 independent charges, and your maximum allowable waivers are three.  So you are two offenses more than the military will waiver to join any service.

However, you could petition the court in New York and request that your record be expunged, since you paid your fines, and have not been in trouble since then.  Once that is done, you would need only one waiver which would explain the circumstances around having an expunged criminal record.

Good luck to you.  I hope you can keep your life on track now.  Please write back, if you have additional questions.