In 2004 I committed a crime in New Hampshire and in 2006 I was arrested for it. At the time of my arrest I was arraigned on charges for 2 class A misdemeanors and a class B felony. I was released on $500 bail and then returned to court 1-2 months later at which time my public defender had me plead guilty to 2 class A misdemeanors and the class B felony was dropped. The penalty for the misdemeanors was a 1 year suspended jail sentence provided that within the year I pay a fine of $1500 and undergo a psychiatric evaluation (just once). After the one year I had to return to court at which time I would then be placed on 3 years probation and if there was no incident I would not have to return after the 3 years was up.
I satisfactorily met all of these requirements and have not had any offenses (other than a speeding ticket) since. Since 2006 I have turned my life completely around and have since married a USMC SSgt(that holds a secret clearance) and have been employed as a USMC contractor (without any security clearance) that is routinely escorted to work in sensitive areas (armories, com vaults, etc). My contract has ended after two years and I am now seeking Federal employment.
Since my crime I have worked in professional positions that required me to pass a background check and I have noticed that on any instant background checks that my crimes do not even show up. I ordered an in depth court record check via Lexis Nexis (the one where they actually contact the convicting court) and that was the ONLY check that ever showed this crime. The crime that I committed was my first and only offense and I was quite notably a dumb 19 year old when I did it. The offense did not involve any other persons and did not involve drugs or illegal weapons.
I am wondering if my prior crime will bar me from getting a Secret clearance or lower. I realize that probably anything higher than a secret is most definitely out of the question. I have several references (military and not) that would attest to my character, would letters of recommendation assist me?