My chances of getting a Moral Waiver in the Cuyahoga District(Cleveland Area)

LifeOfService

New Member
Well this post is about my chances of getting a Moral waiver in the Marines in the Cuyahoga District (Cleveland area) and some other questions.
I'll start out with some of the questions.

Q1: I have been trying to find information on the exact process of the Moral Waiver such as all the paper work and information and such as well as the chain of command it goes through when a district waiver is required but have been trouble find it only parts of it that is usually very unclear.

Q2: How much do dropped charges affect my chances of getting a Moral waiver and do they count in where considering for requirements of where it goes.

Case1:
Possession of Marijuana (14 grams) (M1) - Charge Dropped
Possession of Drug paraphernalia (Bowl, bong, scale[wasn't selling just picked up the bud and was makin' sure I wasn't getting ripped off and me and some friends were splitting it]) (M4) - Plead No Contest
-5 days jail
-6 month license suspension
-1 year probation
---Got a Probation Violation early in probation for failing a drug test haven't smoked since

Case2:
Possession of Marijuana (14 grams) (Minor Misdemeanor[different county]) - Charge Dropped
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Bowl, scale[wasn't selling same thing as before]) - Charge Dropped

Case3:
Still awaiting trial and have been for awhile
OVUAC (Operating Vehicle Under Age Alcohol Consumption)
DUS (Driving Under Suspension)

Now I was charged with the OVUAC since they weren't able to charge me with a DUI. They couldn't charge me with a DUI because I would have had to of blown a .08 and I only blew a .039. Talking to my recruiter he said it would be considered an underage because of that.

Now when I get to court (STILL waiting and waiting and waiting) for Case3 I will get the option to have one charge dropped for pleading no contest to the other so I have to ask which would be better to have dropped for chances of getting a Waiver.

All charges happened with in a short time together (first to last is a period of about 6 months) I had a bit of a bad streak at the end of my highschool career (first 2 cases was still in highschool but at the end of senior year) and for a very short time after getting out (case 3 is about a month after graduation). Since then I have turned my life around. I'm in colage now, work out about an hour and a half everyday, don't drink or smoke anymore.

Now I know I have to wait to I finally manage to get my trial for case3 but I want to know my chances of it after that.

A littleabout my past:
Took tai kwon do for 1 year.
Took karate for 3 years.
Was in the boyscouts.
Played in the Orchestra from 4th grade into high school.
Am doing good in collage.
Have people that could write a good character statement including:
--High school Principle
--Probation officer most likely since I have turned my life around
--Teachers in my collage and from high school
--My boyscout troop leader

Thanks for any and all help and responses.
 
Last edited:
Well this post is about my chances of getting a Moral waiver in the Marines in the Cuyahoga District (Cleveland area) and some other questions.
I'll start out with some of the questions.

Q1: I have been trying to find information on the exact process of the Moral Waiver such as all the paper work and information and such as well as the chain of command it goes through when a district waiver is required but have been trouble find it only parts of it that is usually very unclear.

Your recruiter knows what paperwork to file. If he wants too.

Q2: How much do dropped charges affect my chances of getting a Moral waiver and do they count in where considering for requirements of where it goes.
Dropped charges still appear on criminal historys with the adjudication such as "not prosecuted"

Case1:
Possession of Marijuana (14 grams) (M1) - Charge Dropped
Possession of Drug paraphernalia (Bowl, bong, scale[wasn't selling just picked up the bud and was makin' sure I wasn't getting ripped off and me and some friends were splitting it]) (M4) - Plead No Contest
-5 days jail
-6 month license suspension
-1 year probation
---Got a Probation Violation early in probation for failing a drug test haven't smoked since

Plead No contest and got a probation violation for dropping hot? Not good.

Case2:
Possession of Marijuana (14 grams) (Minor Misdemeanor[different county]) - Charge Dropped
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Bowl, scale[wasn't selling same thing as before]) - Charge Dropped

Double dippin on the same charges or is this a career path for? shows the first charge didn't teach you anything. Chances are getting pretty bad

Case3:
Still awaiting trial and have been for awhile
OVUAC (Operating Vehicle Under Age Alcohol Consumption)
DUS (Driving Under Suspension)

Not been ajudicated yet......can"t enlist

Now I was charged with the OVUAC since they weren't able to charge me with a DUI. They couldn't charge me with a DUI because I would have had to of blown a .08 and I only blew a .039. Talking to my recruiter he said it would be considered an underage because of that.

Depending on the state and their law BAC levels needed for prosecuting minors can be lower than for adults. See a lawyer.

Now when I get to court (STILL waiting and waiting and waiting) for Case3 I will get the option to have one charge dropped for pleading no contest to the other so I have to ask which would be better to have dropped for chances of getting a Waiver.

You get that option if the DA agrees to it and the court accepts the plea. Talk to a lawyer.

All charges happened with in a short time together (first to last is a period of about 6 months) I had a bit of a bad streak at the end of my highschool career (first 2 cases was still in highschool but at the end of senior year) and for a very short time after getting out (case 3 is about a month after graduation). Since then I have turned my life around. I'm in colage now, work out about an hour and a half everyday, don't drink or smoke anymore.

Tell it to the judge and recruiter and roll your dice. Don't look good for ya right now IMHO.

Now I know I have to wait to I finally manage to get my trial for case3 but I want to know my chances of it after that.

A littleabout my past:
Took tai kwon do for 1 year.
Took karate for 3 years.
Was in the boyscouts.
Played in the Orchestra from 4th grade into high school.
Am doing good in collage.
Have people that could write a good character statement including:
--High school Principle
--Probation officer most likely since I have turned my life around
--Teachers in my collage and from high school
--My boyscout troop leader

Thanks for any and all help and responses.

Be advised that the recruitment pool has people in it that don't need the waivers. Gonna be up to what the Corps needs.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by double-dipping but I assure you that it isn't a career path. As for the OVUAC I was already told it would be considered just an underage by the Marines by my recruiter.

Currently the only thing requiring a district waiver from what I've learned in my research is the conviction for weed.

Cleveland is a very bad area so I know there is a fair number of people who require waivers for criminals records applying here. I know quite a few that do personally.

I know but chances are slim but what else can I do to improve my chances? Volunteer work? I know the local PD has a volunteer police program but he said it would be another 6 months before the training for it even starts because of a lack of volunteers and expensive training. I know I can also volunteer to help the local USMC League Detachment which I plan on doing.

Anything else I can do to help my chances?
 
Not sure how the Marines run things, but in the Army I knew a few guys that spoke with the judge about their plans for the military. Most of the time, the judge would not only issue a statement on behalf of that person to increase their chances of a waiver but the sentencing would be more leniant as well. Talk to your lawyer to see if he thinks its a wise move or not.
 
Unfortunately I have a public defender and don't have any way to contact him before the trial. I talked to my probation officer and he said if I kept passing my drug tests and didn't get in anymore trouble he would give me a character statement and contact the Marines himself to recommend me. I'll ask the lawyer about what you said on my court date (as long as it doesn't get pushed back yet again).
 
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