A conviction for this type of crime can impact your immigration status and cause you to lose a professional license.
In California, a conviction for a crime of moral turpitude can have very serious consequences on a person’s life, particularly if that person is an immigrant and if he or she has a professional license. But while crimes of moral turpitude are very important to things such as immigration status, they are not always well-defined or easily understood by many people.
Crimes of moral turpitude are not specifically defined under California law. As a general rule, a crime of moral turpitude is any crime that involves dishonesty, fraud or antisocial behavior that harms others. For example, if a person embezzles money from his or her employer, that would be considered a crime of moral turpitude. Similarly, if a person is convicted of forgery, then that would be a crime of moral turpitude because it is considered both dishonest and fraudulent behavior.
When deciding if a crime is considered a crime of moral turpitude, a judge will look to whether it is a crime that involved dishonesty or base, vile or depraved conduct that “shocks the public conscience. These crimes always involve some sort of criminal intent. Crimes that have been found to be crimes of moral turpitude include burglary, child abuse, criminal threats, felony hit and run, murder, perjury, rape, robbery, voluntary manslaughter, possession for sale of controlled substances and felon in possession of a firearm.
The decision of whether or not a crime is a crime of moral turpitude is an important one because for immigrants in the United States, it can lead to deportation under certain circumstances. In addition, crimes of moral turpitude are often considered “inadmissible” crimes, which means that if you leave the country, you may be denied re-entry, prevented from becoming a U.S. citizen, or prevented from receiving a green card or having your status readjusted.
Beyond immigration status, if you are convicted of a crime of moral turpitude, it can have a serious impact on other areas of your life. Because these crimes are considered to be a reflection of a person’s honestly and capacity for telling the truth, they can be used to impeach a person if he or she is a witness in a trial. In addition, if a person holds a professional license, then they could lose their license if they are convicted of a crime of moral turpitude. Some people, such as California state employees, could also lose their jobs for being convicted of crimes of moral turpitude.
Being charged with any crime is a serious matter, but if you are charged with a crime of moral turpitude, it can have a devastating impact on your life. Contact a skilled Orange County criminal defense attorney to learn more about how you can defend against these charges. At the Chambers Law Firm, we represent people who have been charged with all types of crimes, including crimes of moral turpitude. Contact us today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to learn more about how we can help you.
