We remove arrest records, mugshot pages and criminal case results from Google search. If your record was expunged, sealed, dismissed or you were never convicted, this is the most winnable category of removal there is, because the page no longer reflects a valid public record.
My record was expunged. Why does it still come up on Google?
Because expungement binds the court and the state repository. It does not reach the private companies that copied the record while it was public, and it does not touch Google’s index at all.
Mugshot sites, arrest aggregators and background data companies scraped the record when it was open. When the court seals it, those copies do not disappear. Nobody sends them a notice. The page keeps ranking for your name until somebody makes each operator take it down, one at a time.
That gap is where we work, and it is the strongest position a client can be in. You are not asking anyone for a favor. You are showing them documentation that the record they are publishing is no longer valid, which is the exact standard most of their own policies require.
What can be removed, and what cannot
| Situation | Realistic outcome |
|---|---|
| Expunged or sealed record still indexed | Usually removable, strongest basis |
| Charges dismissed or dropped | Usually removable |
| Arrested, never charged | Usually removable |
| Acquitted at trial | Usually removable |
| Mugshot on a commercial mugshot site | Often removable; several states now restrict paid removal and publication |
| Conviction, not expunged, still valid | Not removable; suppression is the only honest route |
| News coverage of the arrest or case | Rarely removable; correction or suppression |
| Sex offender registry listing | Not removable |
What does it cost?
Priced per link, typically $1,000 to $2,000 each. One arrest often produces multiple results, because mugshot aggregators syndicate to each other, so the audit counts the full set and quotes it before you commit.
If you have an expungement or dismissal order in hand, say so at intake. It changes both the odds and the route, and it is the difference between a straightforward filing and a hard argument.
Should I pay a mugshot site to take it down?
No. Paying the publisher directly is the worst move available. It funds the business model, it frequently results in the image resurfacing on a sister site, and several states have made charging for mugshot removal unlawful precisely because of that pattern.
The route that works is the operator’s own removal policy, the state statute where one applies, and the search engine’s policy. None of those require paying the publisher.
What this does not do
This does not clear, seal or expunge anything. If expungement is available to you and you have not pursued it, that is the first step and it belongs with a criminal defense lawyer. Removal from Google afterward is far easier, and doing it in that order saves money.
It also does not defeat a background check. Screening companies that pull from court records and state repositories rather than Google can still surface a valid record, and where a report is inaccurate, the Fair Credit Reporting Act dispute process is a separate route with its own rights. We do not represent that this work conceals anything from an employer, a licensing board or a court entitled to ask.
What it does is change what an ordinary person sees when they search your name, which for most people is the actual problem.
Frequently asked questions
Will it come back?
It can. Aggregators re-scrape and syndicate to each other. Monitoring after removal is the part most providers skip and the reason removals appear to fail months later.
Do you need my case documents?
An expungement, dismissal or sealing order if one exists. That single document does most of the work. Nothing beyond what the request requires.
What if I was convicted?
Then removal is not available and we will say so rather than take the money. Whether displacement is worth pursuing depends on the query and what else ranks for your name, and the audit answers that.
How long does it take?
Two to eight weeks per link where a valid basis exists, with operators worked in parallel.
Send the links, and the order if you have one. A Search Risk Audit tells you what is removable and what it costs before you pay for anything. Intake is confidential and an NDA is available on request.