| Pre-Employment Criminal Background Checks |
| There are so many courthouses across the U.S. that it’s impractical to attempt a truly “nationwide” criminal background check. Instead, pre-employment background checks involve county-by-county criminal history searches. Criminal background checks focus mainly on county criminal records simply because the vast majority of criminal offenses are prosecuted in the states’ county courts. As an added precaution, some employers request searches of federal criminal records, as well. An explanation of the difference between state and federal crimes follows. |
State crimes are violations of state or local statutes or ordinances. They are prosecuted in the state court in the county in which the criminal charges are filed. Each county courthouse across the U.S. is responsible for maintaining a record of all the criminal charges within its jurisdiction. Examples of state crimes include:
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Assault and Battery |
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Robbery/Theft |
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Embezzlement |
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Driving under the Influence |
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Domestic Violence
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Murder |
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Fraud |
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Sale/Distribution of Drugs |
Any offense that violates the laws contained in the United States Criminal Code is considered a federal crime. Such cases are prosecuted in federal courts. There are just under 100 federal districts across the country, each with multiple divisions. Examples of federal crimes include:
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Bank Robbery and Bank Fraud |
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Money Laundering |
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Drug Trafficking |
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Counterfeiting |
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Mail Fraud/Theft
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Kidnapping |
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Computer and Internet Crimes |
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Securities Fraud |
AccuSearch requires that each applicant to be screened provide certain personal identifier information (e.g., DOB, SSN, DL#). If our investigation turns up a possible record, we use this personal information to help determine whether the record does, in fact, belong to the applicant. We also ask each applicant to provide his/her prior addresses. Since an applicant might neglect to list a particular prior address if (s)he has something to hide, we don’t accept at face value the information supplied. Instead, we begin each criminal background check with a Social Security Number trace and an address & alias search. The resulting list of names and addresses associated with the SSN supplied by the applicant helps us determine which names and courts should be searched.
AccuSearch recommends searching for criminal records under the applicant’s primary name, plus all other names used, in all counties where the applicant has resided during the past 7 years. Since searches of additional counties and/or names might add cost, we can contact you for pre-approval, if you would like. For an even more comprehensive search, consider searching for criminal records in neighboring counties, or wherever the applicant has attended school or worked. We also recommend searching federal criminal records when recruiting for positions of higher profile, responsibility or risk.
Click on a link below for more information or to submit an application to Open an Account.
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