Getting a call that you are under investigation for a sex crime, or seeing your name appear on an online police blotter, can make you feel like your career in Cleveland just ended overnight. You might be wondering if you should even show up at work tomorrow, if HR already knows, and whether anyone will ever hire you again. The shock of the accusation comes with a second wave of fear about your job, your license, and your reputation.
During those first days, you may be pushed for answers from every direction. HR might want a meeting. A supervisor could ask for “your side of the story.” Family members ask what will happen to your paycheck and your benefits. At the same time, the criminal process is just beginning, and you know that what you say now could follow you into court and onto every future background check.
At Mastandrea Law, LLC, we have represented thousands of people in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio who have faced that exact combination of criminal charges and career risk. Our criminal defense practice, led by former public defender Rod Mastandrea, and our employment law practice, led by Kelly Wilson, give us a front row view of how local employers, background check companies, and courts actually treat sex crime accusations. In this guide, we walk through what really happens to your job and your future employment, and how early, coordinated steps can protect more than you might think.
Why A Sex Crime Accusation Threatens Your Job In Cleveland
Many people assume their job is safe until there is a conviction, or at least until a formal plea. In reality, Cleveland employers often react much earlier. An accusation can be informal, such as a complaint from a coworker or customer. A charge is a formal filing in a court like the Cleveland Municipal Court or the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. A conviction is a finding of guilt. Employers do not always wait for that last step. They pay attention to the moment an allegation surfaces, especially when it involves sexual conduct.
Ohio is an at-will employment state. That means most private employers can terminate or discipline employees for almost any reason that is not illegal discrimination or retaliation. When sex crime accusations arise, they worry about liability, workplace safety, and public relations. Even if the allegation has nothing to do with work, an employer may decide that keeping you in a customer-facing role, a position of trust, or around vulnerable people is too much of a risk. They may move quickly, sometimes before they know all the facts.
Stigma also plays a powerful role. Sex crime allegations trigger strong reactions that are different from many other charges. In our experience handling thousands of local cases, we see Cleveland employers in healthcare, education, and financial services move much faster on sex related accusations than on drug or property offenses. They worry about how parents, patients, or clients will react if they learn an employee is accused of a sex offense, even if the employee insists the allegation is false. That pressure can lead to suspensions, forced leaves, or terminations based largely on perception.
The important point is that your employment is not insulated from the accusation just because you have not been convicted. The way you respond in these early days and the advice you receive strongly influence whether you keep your current job, whether you can contest a termination later, and how future employers will view your record. Understanding how accusations become visible to employers is the next piece of the puzzle.
How Sex Crime Allegations Show Up On Cleveland Background Checks
In Cleveland, your criminal case does not stay hidden once charges are filed. Public court dockets for local courts can typically be searched online. Those dockets often show your name, the case number, the charge or charges, and the status of the case. Employers, background check companies, and even curious coworkers can often find that information without much effort.
Many medium and large employers in Northeast Ohio use third-party background check services that pull data from these public records. Depending on the scope of the check, they may see pending criminal cases, past convictions, and sometimes even dismissed charges. For a pending sex crime case, the report may show the charge and list the status as “pending” or “open,” even though you have not been convicted of anything.
Arrest records can also appear. Some law enforcement agencies publish booking logs or arrest information that background check companies collect. Even if a case is not yet filed in court, an arrest may generate a record that gets tied to your name. On top of that, local media outlets sometimes report on sex crime arrests or charges, especially if they involve teachers, coaches, or public employees. Those articles can stay searchable long after the case ends.
People often ask whether sealing or expungement will solve the problem. Ohio law allows some criminal records to be sealed or expunged, but many sex offenses are excluded or are very difficult to remove. Even when a record can be sealed, that usually applies to official court and law enforcement records, not to private background databases or online news coverage. In other words, sealing helps in some situations, but it does not erase every trace of the accusation from the employment world.
Because we regularly defend internet sex crimes and other serious charges in the Cleveland area courts, we see how these cases later appear on background reports. We know that for many local employers, the simple fact that there was a sex related charge on a report, even years ago, can raise questions. That is why planning for how your case will show up on current and future background checks is just as important as fighting the charges in court.
Common Ways Cleveland Employers Respond After An Accusation
Once an employer learns about an accusation or charge, most do not ignore it. Based on what we see in Cleveland workplaces, there are several common first steps. Some employees are called into a meeting with HR or a supervisor and told they are being placed on leave while the company “looks into it.” Others are told not to return to work until further notice. A few find out indirectly because their schedule suddenly disappears from the system or their computer access is cut off.
Employers often use tools like suspension with pay, suspension without pay, or administrative leave when an employee is accused of a sex crime. They may temporarily move you out of a role that involves minors, patients, or financial access. In unionized settings, a collective bargaining agreement may dictate some of these steps, but the basic pattern is that you are removed from normal duties while the employer decides what to do next.
Internal investigations are the next layer. HR may interview you, the accuser (if they are a coworker or customer), and potential witnesses. They may ask for written statements, text messages, emails, or social media exchanges. In some sectors, especially education and healthcare, employers also have reporting duties to licensing boards or state agencies. Those entities may launch their own investigations, each with its own timelines and consequences.
It is important to remember that an internal HR investigation is separate from the police investigation. HR is gathering information to decide what is best for the company, not to protect your rights in the criminal case. However, anything you say or submit in that process can later become evidence in court. In our employment law work, we routinely see HR interview notes and written employee responses show up in criminal discovery, where prosecutors study them for admissions or inconsistencies.
Public sector employers, such as city agencies or school districts in Cuyahoga County, often have more formal procedures and may hold pre-disciplinary hearings or board meetings. Private employers usually act through HR and management, with more discretion and less formality. In either setting, once the accusation is on the table, the way you handle those early contacts can determine whether you have any leverage to challenge a termination or negotiate terms of separation later on.
What You Should And Should Not Say To HR Or Your Employer
When your job feels like it is on the line, the instinct is to explain everything. Many people walk into HR meetings determined to “clear it up” by answering every question in detail. That instinct is dangerous in the context of a pending sex crime case. HR does not have to tell you that they may turn information over to law enforcement, and they are not required to protect you from self-incrimination. Anything you say can be requested by prosecutors later.
Before you answer substantive questions about the allegations, you should speak with a criminal defense lawyer who understands the local process. It is reasonable to tell HR that you are taking the accusation seriously and that you need time to consult with counsel before providing a detailed statement. A simple response like, “I want to cooperate with the company’s process, but because there is a criminal investigation, I have been advised to speak with my attorney before discussing the specifics,” can protect you from making impulsive, harmful statements.
You also do not have to speculate or guess about facts you do not remember clearly. Guessing to satisfy HR’s need for details can create contradictions between what you say at work and what you later say in court. Those contradictions are exactly what prosecutors highlight to attack your credibility. Staying within what you truly know, and declining to answer questions that your attorney flags as risky, is not the same as being uncooperative. It is protecting your constitutional rights.
At the same time, you may have employment rights you want to preserve, such as the right to contest a termination, pursue a discrimination claim, or apply for unemployment benefits. Advice that focuses only on the criminal side might miss those issues. That is why coordinated guidance is so important. At Mastandrea Law, LLC, our criminal defense and employment attorneys work together so that when we help a client prepare for an HR meeting or a written response, we are protecting both the criminal defense strategy and any potential employment law claims.
In practice, that might mean we help you decide what documents to provide, what questions to decline, and whether to attend certain meetings at all. It might also mean we communicate directly with HR on your behalf, which can reduce pressure on you in the moment and avoid off-the-cuff comments that hurt you later. This coordination can make the difference between protecting your legal position and unintentionally handing the prosecution and your employer a roadmap to discipline or termination.
Can Your Employer Fire You For A Sex Crime Accusation In Ohio?
This is often the hardest question to face. In Ohio’s at-will employment system, most private employers can terminate an employee for almost any reason, including reputational concerns, loss of trust, or the belief that an accusation will disrupt the workplace. They typically do not need a conviction to make that decision. From their perspective, a serious sex crime allegation can be enough to justify separation, especially in sensitive roles.
There are, however, important limits. Employers cannot legally fire you for reasons that violate other laws, such as discrimination based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, or certain other protected characteristics. They also cannot lawfully retaliate against you for engaging in protected activities, such as reporting harassment or discrimination earlier in your employment. Sometimes, sex crime accusations are used as a pretext, meaning the stated reason for a firing hides an unlawful motive underneath.
Union contracts, written employment agreements, and policies in employee handbooks can also affect what an employer is allowed to do. Some public employees and certain private employees have “just cause” protections that require the employer to show specific grounds and follow defined procedures before termination. In those situations, how the accusation is documented and how the employer handles the internal process may open or close doors for challenging their decision.
Your ability to qualify for unemployment benefits is another piece of the picture. In Ohio, whether you can collect unemployment often depends on the stated reason for separation. If an employer claims “misconduct” connected with work, that can create hurdles. If you resign voluntarily, that can create different hurdles. Acting without legal advice, such as resigning in a panic or signing a separation agreement you do not fully understand, can affect your unemployment rights and your leverage in any later employment claim.
Our employment law practice has evaluated many terminations that followed criminal accusations to determine whether they were lawful or whether they crossed the line into discrimination or retaliation. We look at the timing of the decision, the employer’s treatment of other workers, the policies in place, and the history of your employment. That analysis is very fact-specific, which is why it is dangerous to assume your firing is automatically legal or automatically illegal, without having someone look closely at your situation.
Finding And Keeping Work While A Sex Crime Case Is Pending
For many people, the accusation alone is enough to disrupt their current job. That leads to a frightening question: how do you find or keep work while a sex crime case is still open in Cleveland? The answer depends on the types of jobs you pursue, how you approach background checks and interviews, and whether you coordinate those steps with your legal strategy.
Job applications in Ohio frequently ask about criminal history. Some focus on convictions only, while others ask whether you have been convicted or have pending charges. It is critical to read the exact wording and answer truthfully within that scope. Overstating or understating your situation can create integrity concerns if an employer later discovers a mismatch between your answer and the public record. Before you start applying broadly, talk with your attorney about how your pending case is likely to appear on background checks and what types of questions you can expect.
Not all industries treat pending sex crime cases the same way. Employers that work with children, such as schools and childcare centers, or with vulnerable adults, such as nursing homes, often have strict policies or regulatory obligations that make hiring someone with a pending sex related charge very unlikely. Other employers, especially in less regulated sectors, may be more open to considering individual circumstances, job duties, and the status of your case. Understanding where you realistically have a chance can save you time and frustration.
In interviews, you may be asked about gaps in employment, terminations, or “anything else we should know.” You do not have to volunteer every detail of your case, but you also must avoid making false statements. With careful planning, many people are able to explain a period of unemployment or a separation in a way that is accurate but does not delve into sensitive legal strategy. At Mastandrea Law, LLC, we routinely help clients think through how to describe their situation so they stay truthful without undermining their defense or disclosing unnecessary information.
As your criminal case progresses, decisions about plea agreements and timing can also affect your employment options. For example, the specific charge you plead to, whether it involves registration, and whether the plea is to a misdemeanor or felony can all shape the types of jobs available later. Having criminal and employment counsel work together allows you to consider not just “will this plea keep me out of jail” but also “what will this plea do to my ability to work in Cleveland for the next decade.”
How Coordinated Criminal Defense And Employment Counsel Protect Your Future
Sex crime accusations sit at the intersection of criminal law and employment law in a way few other charges do. The outcome of your criminal case can impose conditions that directly limit where you can work, such as sex offender registration, restrictions on contact with minors, or probation terms affecting your schedule and travel. At the same time, your employer’s actions, your responses to HR, and any employment claims you pursue can create records and statements that feed back into the criminal process.
When these two tracks are handled separately, problems often arise. For example, someone might file a detailed internal complaint or administrative charge about discrimination, describing events in ways that contradict the defense position in the criminal case. Or they might agree to resign as part of an HR resolution, not realizing that this could weaken a later argument that they were forced out unlawfully or affect unemployment eligibility. Without coordination, each move can accidentally undercut the other side of your legal situation.
Working with a firm that handles both criminal defense and employment matters under one roof allows you to see the whole picture. At Mastandrea Law, LLC, our criminal defense team and our employment law team communicate about shared clients so that the advice you receive is consistent. When we help you decide whether to attend an HR meeting, what to say in a written response, or whether to sign a separation agreement, we look at how that choice will play out in both the courtroom and the workplace.
We also help you think long-term. That means considering not just how to navigate the immediate accusation, but how to position yourself for future job searches in Cleveland and the rest of Northeast Ohio. We pay attention to which outcomes will appear on background checks, how to document any unlawful employment actions without harming the criminal defense, and when to pursue or delay certain employment claims based on what is happening in your criminal case.
Many online articles treat sex crime cases as purely criminal issues or treat job loss as purely an HR matter. Our daily work shows that they are deeply connected. A coordinated approach gives you the best chance to protect your freedom, your record, and your ability to earn a living, instead of treating those goals as separate or competing priorities.
Talk With A Cleveland Team That Understands Both Your Case And Your Career
A sex crime accusation in Cleveland can threaten your livelihood as quickly as it threatens your liberty. Your employer’s decisions, your statements to HR, and the way your case appears on background checks all combine to shape your future. While you cannot control everything an employer or prosecutor does, you do have control over the choices you make right now, and those choices matter.
If you are facing a sex crime accusation and are worried about losing your job or finding work in the future, you do not have to navigate this alone. Mastandrea Law, LLC brings together seasoned criminal defense and employment law counsel so you can get one coordinated strategy instead of conflicting advice. Before you meet with HR, sign any paperwork, or start answering background check questions, contact us online or call us at (216) 306-5105 about how to protect both your case and your career.