[Cpa extravaganza]

I was arrested and convicted of a felony back in 2006. It was nothing to be proud of. Long story short, was fighting addiction to porn, and downloaded bad stuff.

I applied for the exam two years later, before it switched to 150 credits. Fast forward 10 years, and I passed the first part of the exam. The pandemic threw in a monkey wrench, but found out I passed the last part of the exam back in November of 2020.

The NYS Form 1 was filled out and mailed in again, along with documentation of my criminal conviction, successful completion of my sentence, and so forth. In May, I was informed the office of professional discipline was investigating me. I provided certified copies of everything, professional references, and any other documents they requested.

A month later the OPD called and said they approved my application.I have been clean since the conviction (except for an occasional traffic ticket), which worked in my favor. As well as the lapse of time since the conviction too, which worked in my favor.

Throughout the process, I was under the impression the certificate of relief from disabilities would bar the state board from denying the license. However, it doesn’t mean they can’t ask questions as it is a question of moral character.

If you’re in the same boat as me, bear in mind that when you call the Albany office, they won’t know much about it. They will tell you the same as me (application received, board approved, passed comp Ed, etc). Before it hits licensing queue though, they look into moral character. So I thought I was all set when they said the board approved, but I was wrong.

Stay safe, be compliant with the law, and if you have a conviction unrelated to financial crimes, you can be OK as long as you demonstrate rehabilitation.