Can you get a SC insurance license if you have a felony drug charges?

Answer 1

I recently pled no contest to an attempted burglary charge which is a felony. Since this conviction, I have experienced a large dilemma with employment opportunities. The dilemma isn't whether or not I am legally entitled to certain career oriented jobs such as, real estate agent, insurance agent, financial agent, government employment, and so on.... Many if not most high income careers are simply not an option for a felon. Any agency that is federally or state ran proclides convicted felons from career opportunities. Furthermore, larger companies who hire individuals with expertise in a field or specialized training almost always require an extensive criminal and financial background check prior to consideration for hire. So, basically my Kansas University Business Management Degree is essentially irrelevant. Large companies exercise policies in hiring procedures so as to screen any potential candidate with an undesirable past. Back to the issue or "dilemma" I find myself in as a highly qualified and highly educated 26 year old man. Should I gamble by falsifying applications and or screening processes by simply denying any notable criminal history, ie, a felony conviction. I am farely confident that most high salary jobs/governmentally monitored company would immediately uncover the truth resulting in abrupt dismissal from hiring consideration. However, smaller businesses that do not exercise standard background checks may offer an opportunity to deny felony convictions on applications and or in the interview process. Unfortunately, smaller businesses tend to compensate their employees at a substantially lower rate than that of large companies do to the gross profits differing greatly. A desperate person may feel it is worth the gamble to misrepresent their criminal history by denying a felony conviction when in fact the applicant has been convicted of a felony. If the employer fails to run a background check and subsequently hires the dishonest applicant, a very volatile situation is created between the employer and newly hired employee. At any point throughtout the term of their employment, the deceitful employee may come under review for a particular reason, perhaps related to job performance. At this point an in depth review of the employees work record and on the job behavior will begin. Chances are the original dishonesty regarding criminal history will be revealed resulting in immediate termination and in some cases could result in a law suit if certain actions by the illegitamate employee created financial liability for the employer. With all that being said, and all these scenarios being carefully considered, is it wise to try and cover up a felony conviction from disclosure by a prospective employer? This again goes back to my dilemma. I am 26 with a great degree that should award me employment opportunities that could yield great salaries. I believe that my personal decision on whether to disclose my felony conviction will be case dependant. Depending on the position I am applying for, the size and hiring policies of the potential employer, and lastly whether the rewards outweigh the risks of being caught. I will conclude with this thought. If one does choose to "hide" certain criminal history information from a prospective employer, it is certainly a gamble that comes with the everyday potential of being fired without notice. However if a particular employee exhibits a great deal of value to the business and profits, certain boss's may find it detrimental to the health and future of the business to terminate an important employee from a particular position within the company. My dilemma is solved. I will lie on applications to unlikely background checking businesses with the hopes to be hired without unavailing the big felonious issue I failed to mention. Next I will quickly prove myself as an invaluable and irreplaceable asset to the business by which no boss could justify termination. The key to my plan is to actually be worth a crap to display exceptional job performance. If I can do this I would like to think I am home free and seemingly "pardoned" of my big fat lie. That is assuming the employer isn't mandated by policy or insurance risk to fire any undisclosed felon that was granted employment. So I conclude with a recap. To all of you convicted felons out there seeking respectful employment, we are totally up shi* creek without a paddle. No chance for "professional" careers or government licensed agency jobs. No white collar big business hopes as they have the cash to sustain the relatively miniscule expense of professionally screening backgrounds of all applicants. Yep, looks like we are limited to getting lucky with a decent job at a mid sized firm that simply doesn't conduct background checks. Or for those with all balls no brains, or better yet risktakers, simply bullshi* the application or interviewee by acting like the idea of being a convicted felon is just ridiculous. Leaving yourself to perform hour duties on the job with no mistakes. Lastly my solved dilemma method is to go ahead and leave out any criminal history from your past and hope to get hired without screening. Then quickly bust butt to perform and reveal your irreplaceable value to your employer forcing your boss to forgive you if he ever finds out. Two more closing thoughts to consider that I failed to suggest or discuss throughout this lengthy hypothetical employment predicament. Maybe simply owning your own successful business is the surest way to avoid any and all worry about someone sniffing through your dark days and judging you entirely based on a mistake that has and will always haunt you. I will close with a question by which I haven't a clue to the answer. Is is a crime to lie to a prospective employer and claim to not have a felony conviction on your criminal record? If it is, is it a federal offense, or does each state have their own laws on the issue. Thanks - James Conley

Answer 2

It may be possible to obtain a SC insurance license with felony drug charges, depending on the specifics of the case and how long ago the charges occurred. Each application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and factors such as rehabilitation efforts, time elapsed since the offense, and the nature of the charges will be considered. It's best to contact the South Carolina Department of Insurance for specific guidance.