Theft of an interstate shipment
Back in 2004 my cousin and I robbed a tailor containing 200 case of fritz vodka witch came from over sea's and also crossed state lines from NJ, and into PA. about a week later I found myself being charged with this crime, and of course everyone pointed their fingers at me, I was the truck driver. Never before have I been convicted of anything other than a misdemeanor. Well, I was put on supervised release with the federal government, until my hearing was to take place, a few months later. Well I was to report 3 times a week, and submit to drug test every time. I failed one, about a month after the supervised release started, and they put me in a local county jail until my hearing. As per the federal guidelines at this time, and with my short adult record, I was looking at 4-6 months in prison, 3 years probation, and of course 34,000 in restitution. By the time I went to court, I should have been offered time served, which I was, plus probation, and restitution, if I plead guilty, and didn't waste the governments time going to trial. This was just before Christmas 2004 so I took the plea deal. I had a few problems with my probation officer after that.
My girlfriends parents moved out to Las Vegas Nv, in February 2005, and I was getting started with hanging out with my old friends again, so I decided, after her parents offered to help us find a place out there, to go, and start over... start a new life! I was reporting to my probation officer once a month at that time. After they (my girlfriends parents) secured us an apartment, and I got some interviews lined up for jobs, I decided it was time to talk to my probation officer and see what he said about being transferred out there. He told me it wouldn't be a problem, as long as I was never convicted of a violent crime. I was told to report as usual on a monthly basis once I got out there and secured employment. So the following week, we packed our stuff, and drove to Las Vegas. When we got there 3 days later, we moved into our apartment. I got a great job about a week later driving a class A tow truck, making about 1400.00 a week. My first Tuesday of the month was coming up to report at the local probation office in Las Vegas. Two days before that, my house was raided by the metro police, and I was taken into custody. I never went in front of a judge in Vegas, I was placed into the federal holding, and then I was extradited back to Pennsylvania on the feds "air lift". It took me a little over a month to get beck to PA, and then I had to wait a week to see the original sentencing judge for my case. At this hearing, I finally found out what was going on, and why I was extradited back to PA. My probation officer in PA, never did the paperwork to transfer me, and he told the judge I never told him. I should have gotten some kind of traveling papers from him when I told him to verify that we discussed it, but I didn't. Like I said, this was my first conviction of a felony on my record, and I had NO idea what I was doing. NO EXCUSES! I accepted my fate and did my 3 months in federal prison that I was sentenced to for the violation! I did my time at MDC Brooklyn. When I was released I started working for a small family trucking company that my father owned for work, because while I was in prison for the 3 months, my now ex-girlfriend "moved on" in Las Vegas, so I stayed in PA. Well of course I had to start my 3 years of probation again, so I was back on my schedule of seeing the SAME probation office once a month. I told him EVERYTHING! Even about my job as a truck driver, driving out of state, but not being gone more than one week at a time, and everything was going good! I got a nice apartments, and I was moving on with my life! I was out in Boston Mass. On one of my trips, when I got a phone call from my probation officer. He told me I had to report right away, instead of waiting the 2 more days, till I normally checked in on the first Tuesday. I told him where I was, and I told him that I was working. I wouldn't be able to come in until my normal time, 2 days later. He told me that if I didn't show up at his office before the end of business, he would issue a warrant for my arrest, and have me arrested and put back in jail. Unfortunately, I was about 7 hours away from where I was supposed to report, and it was 2:00pm in the afternoon, so I went on with my job. As I got into town, about to have my weekend the next day, the local police, one of my good friends, someone I went to high school with, arrested me, and put me in the local county jail, until the judge seen me a week later. Well, the judge offered me, another 3 months for a probation violation, and I would have to re-start my probation over again once I was released, or 6 months in a low security federal prison and they would forgive me of the probation... I took the 6 months to be done with it. I did me time at LSCI Allenwood federal prison, and was released 6 months later to the day! There was quite a bit more to this story, like my federal public defender told me all the evidence was stacked against me such as finger prints, and a witness (my cousin which wasn't credible at all), and the seal to the trailer didn't match when the load was delivered. This was told to me by my so called lawyer for me to take the plea deal. Later I found out that none of it was true... they never had finger prints, my cousin wasn't going to testify (even if he did he has been in so much theft in his past, he would have been convicted of it himself) and also, the seal numbers matched when I delivered the load, from the one they put on there after if got off the ship in NJ.
I've been out of prison for almost 2 years now, and I've been unemployed for most of the time. I am having a hard time finding a job driving truck, like I have been doing since I was 18 years old. So I decided to work this dead end factory job, while I went to college. I am going for a degree in computer networking mgmt. The things I've been reading lately, I have no chance to secure a job in this field no matter what I do once I complete my course. Will I have any options in my future with this felony on my record? Do you see anything in the above statement regarding getting this stupid felony off my record? I was convicted of Theft of an interstate shipment.
Thanks for your time.
