Received DUIs in Washington State in 2006 and 2008. Can any part of my record (criminal, driving) be wiped for federal background check purposes?

[hisdudeness47]

Hey there, I am a 32 year old M.S student who has turned my life around since a time of depression and turmoil in my late teens/early 20s. After my mom tragically passed away in 2006 I immediately got a DUI and then in 2008 I received the kicker, a second DUI. It was a horrible time of my life with jail-time, dropping out of school, working dead end jobs, etc. At age 25 I finally pulled myself out of the dumps and since then I've been through rehab, become a responsible adult, got myself back into school and done very well for myself. My record has been squeaky clean since my DUIs, driving and criminal. I've done extremely well in school and graduated with a geophysics B.S. and will be graduating with a geological engineering M.S. next month. Now I'm being groomed for a USGS hydrogeologist position in Nevada (basically a guarantee) and will be starting the application process soon. I imagine this includes a federal background check, and this concerns me. What I'd like to know is if there are any steps I can take to clean my record. As far as I'm aware, DUIs stay on Washington State criminal records for life, but I'm not sure if there's any other steps I can take and if there's something I can do about my driving record. Heck, I've even read that DUIs stay on Washington State driving records for about 10 years, but I don't know what to believe. Does anyone know if there's any steps I can take to wipe at least part of this stained past life off my records? These DUIs occurred 11 and 13 years ago, so I'm hoping something can be done. Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[quincy]

The DUIs will be disclosed by you on the application and will be part of your criminal background check, even if expunged.

 

[hisdudeness47]

I recently applied to a different federal position and I don't believe I had to disclose my DUIs, only felonies. I could be mistaken.

 

[Zigner]

If I may slightly modify quincy's statement:

The DUIs will be disclosed by you on the application, if required, and will be part of your criminal background check, even if expunged.

In any case, the point that should be taken is that you should not lie on the background check application.

 

[hisdudeness47]

If I may slightly modify quincy's statement:

The DUIs will be disclosed by you on the application, if required, and will be part of your criminal background check, even if expunged.

In any case, the point that should be taken is that you should not lie on the background check application.

Oh, absolutely. I have no intention of lying. I'm just asking about getting some of this stuff removed, if possible.

 

[quincy]

Oh, absolutely. I have no intention of lying. I'm just asking about getting some of this stuff removed, if possible.

Answering all questions honestly on the application is vital.

Here is a link to a Washington State Criminal Records guide on what offenses you can and can't remove from your records:
https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.displayContent&theFile=content/guideToCrimHistoryRecords