A felon can own a business in NY.
Although some types of businesses or professions which require specific licenses may have some restrictions for felons or require waivers, especially if the felony that was committed was related to the business or the profession.
New York law does not automatically disqualify someone with a felony conviction from owing a business.
Business licensing agents in New York must make their decisions on a case by case basis and also consider the nature of the felony conviction, the time that has elapsed and any evidence of rehabilitation when deciding on to issue a business license to a felon.
Having a conviction that is directly related to the business the felon is planning on opening can be a significant factor in the business licensing decision.
And licensing agencies in New York can also deny a business license if the issuance of the business license would create an unreasonable risk to public safety or property.
A felony is defined in law as a crime that is punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty depending on the level of felony and the seriousness of the crime.
Misdemeanors are defined as offenses which are punishable only by fines or short terms of imprisonment in local jails.
A felony is also defined as a crime that often involves violence.
The most common felony is drug related offenses, which include trafficking, possession and manufacturing of controlled substances and some drug offenses can be charged as misdemeanors and many are also felonies, especially the ones that involve larger quantities or the intent to sell.
The different classes of felonies are from Class A felonies which are the most serious felonies and Class E felonies which are the lower and less serious felonies which is at the federal level.
Some states may use different classifications of felonies like first, second and third degree felonies.
Class A felonies can carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or even death.
Class B felonies carry a maximum sentence of 25 years or more.
Class C felonies carry a maximum sentence of 10 years to 25 years.
And Class E felonies carry a maximum of 1 to 5 years.
A class E felony is a felony offense which is often considered to be one of the less serious categories of felonies within a state's or federal system's classification system.
Although a class E felony is still a serious crime and charge, a class E felony often involves lower level offenses than other felony classes do.
The penalties for a class E felony can include fines, imprisonment and even loss of voting rights.
Class E felonies are often at the lower end of the felony spectrum and means that they are less severe than other felony classes such as class A felony, class B felony, class C felony and class D felonies.
A class E felony can result in a person getting a prison sentence although the length of the prison sentence can vary.
Fines can also be imposed for a class E felony.
And convictions of class E felonies can result in the loss of voting rights, restrictions on ownership of firearms and even difficulty in getting employment or housing.
Some crimes that can result in class E felonies include certain drug offenses, certain violent crimes and even crimes such as aggravated battery that causes great bodily harm, hit and run involving of great bodily harm or even possession of body armor after a violent crime conviction.
Drug offenses like possession of certain controlled substances with the intent to distribute or possession of certain amounts of specific drugs can result in a class E felony.
And violent crimes like assault with a deadly weapon, some types of sexual offenses and certain burglary charges can also be classified as class E felonies.