Petit Larceny in New York
First time offender. I am a working mom with a 2 yrs old and married. Went to a department store and stole about $330 worth of merchandise and got stopped by store detective. I have already paid restitution to the store. Would this help in my case to show the judge how sorry I am for paying restitution? DA is offering "Disorderly conduct" and 35 hrs of community service instead of ACOD. I was under a lot of stress from home and work at the time of incident. I know it is not an excuse and I am completely ashamed of myself. My lawyer seems to think that it is the best option for me. I am afraid it will ruin my professional career forever for one stupid mistake. Is there anything I can do to push for that ACOD? Will disorderly conduct shows up on background check when I apply for a new job? Is there a time limit for the community service to be fullfill? Is there any advantage for me if the court spell my last name wrong? Case was adjourned becuase DA has no info on my background due to the name error. Also, is there expungement in NY and will my case be eligible for that? Thanks.