History Main / SuspiciouslyCleanCriminalRecord

* Shows up often on ''Series/{{Castle}}''. One notable example is when investigating the torture and subsequent murder of a surgeon. Ryan and Esposito are discussing how unusual it is for that to happen, given that the surgeon had no criminal record and no connections to any mobs. Ryan goes so far as to observe, "The guy didn't even have any porn on his computer."

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': During a transitional period in late-1995 (amidst ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''), Ben Reilly took over the main books. In-universe, he found a job as a bouncer to a nightclub that belongs to a shady businessman mamed Tso, and his boss's head of security, Orlando, wanted to do a check up on his background. Due to certain circumstances, Ben Reilly had no previous records, so his friend, Dr. Seward Trainer, whose mind was lost in "virtual reality"/cyberspace at the time, fabricated one for Reilly by altering several government databases. After printing the fake records, Orlando ponders what such a clean-cut man as Reilly is doing with Tso.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': During a transitional period in late-1995 (amidst ''ComicBook/TheCloneSaga''), Ben Reilly took over the main books. In-universe, he found a job as a bouncer to a nightclub that belongs to a shady businessman mamed Tso, and his boss's head of security, Orlando, wanted to do a check up on his background. Due to certain circumstances, Ben Reilly had no previous records, so his friend, Dr. Seward Trainer, whose mind was lost in "virtual reality"/Internet at the time, fabricated one for Reilly by altering several government databases. After printing the fake records, Orlando ponders what such a clean-cut man as Reilly is doing with Tso.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': During a transitional period in late-1995, Ben Reilly took over the main books. In-universe, he found a job as a bouncer to a nightclub that belongs to a shady businessman mamed Tso, and his boss's head of security, Orlando, wanted to do a check up on his background. Due to certain circumstances, Ben Reilly had no previous records, so his friend, Dr. Seward Trainer, whose mind was lost in "virtual reality"/Internet at the time, fabricated one for Reilly by altering several government databases. After printing the fake records, Orlando ponders what such a clean-cut man as Reilly is doing with Tso.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': During a transitional period in late-1995, Ben Reilly took over the main books. In-universe, he found a job as a bouncer to a nightclub, and his boss's head of security wanted to do a check up on his background. Due to certain circumstances, Ben Reilly had no previous records, so his friend, Dr. Seward Trainer, whose mind was lost in "virtual reality"/Internet at the time, fabricated one for Reilly by altering several government databases.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': During a transitional period in late-1995, Ben Reilly took over the main books. In-universe, he found a job as a bouncer to a nightclub, and his boss's head of security wanted to do a check up on his background. Due to certain circumstances, Ben Reilly had no previus records, so his friend, Dr. Seward Trainer, whose mind was lost in "virtual reality"/Internet at the time, fabricated one for Reilly by altering several government databases.

* ''Fanfic/CursedBlood'': Aizawa looks into Bakugo's school records and finds they're completely clean with not a single reported incident. Given Bakugo's personality is combative at best and sociopathic at worst, this tips off Aizawa that Bakugo's record has been falsified, especially since Izuku's record notes several instances of being assaulted or bullied but never once names his attacker.

* ''Fanfic/MyHeroPokedamia'': The files U.A. received from Aldera painted Bakugo as an exemplary student that was always helpful, while Izuku's indicate he's a troublemaking delinquent -- something that sets off all the alarms for Aizawa and Nezu because they have seen enough of both to realize the opposite is true. Nezu eventually puts together that the school outright tampered with the records.

* An episode of ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' has Harry (an alien) run for City Council. The incumbent, who is rather corrupt, recruits a police officer to dig up Harry's criminal record. The officer recounts that Harry ''has'' no such record. Literally no misdemeanors, felonies, or miscellaneous criminal infractions in his entire time on this planet. Why, it's almost as if he were... [[EntertaininglyWrong Amish...]]

* ''VideoGame/BatmanTheTelltaleSeries'': Oswald Cobblepot, known by his criminal alias "The Penguin", was a known small-time crime lord before the events of the story, running illegal boxing matches, arms dealing, and other rackets. Despite this, after the Wayne family scandal causes Bruce Wayne to be ousted as CEO, Oswald is chosen by the Board of Directors to be his successor, despite his history. Batman later finds that Oswald's criminal background has been expunged and whitewashed from the city record due to his connections with the Children of Arkham, presenting himself as a successful businessman with a Cambridge education.

* In ''Series/TheOutsider'', the police are thrown for a loop in the case of Terry Maitland, a teacher and baseball coach charged with the rape and murder of an 11 year-old boy on the strength of seemingly irrefutable DNA evidence while an apparently equally un-fakable alibi appears to prove his innocence. Detective Ralph Anderson admits that in addition to Maitland's clean record and good standing in the community (which he notes [[BewareTheNiceOnes doesn't prove anything]]), it doesn't look good that his computer not only has no child pornography, but no pornography of any kind.

* In the ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'', Lisbeth investigates Michael on behalf of Mr Vanger, as Michael is indicted for libel. As his previous record proves to be clean, Vanger decides to hire him as a detective.

This has a couple of uses. It can show how saintly a character is by essentially "[[DamnedByFaintPraise praising them by faint damnation,]]" or it can show that they seem to be an unlikely suspect for a crime, which means that in a PoliceProcedural show, well, that's another roadblock the MainCharacters will have to come back from. In rarer cases, such as a spy thriller, it can mean that they have changed their identity and their record is so clean because it didn't ''exist'' earlier.

Contrast and compare OrgyOfEvidence, which looks suspicious because it's overwhelmingly incriminating.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'', a pair of bureaucratic devils look up the history of the LawfulGood cleric Piffany and discover that the worst thing she's ever done is squash a bug. And she did a week's penance to make up for that!

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Podcast/BlackJackJustice'': "The Big Time" features Jack and Trixie hired by an insurance investigator to find a lost set of heirloom pearls. One of the reasons the pearls have ''stayed'' missing is that there is no obvious suspect for theft; every member of the family who would have wanted them valued them more for their status as an heirloom than for any amount of money they could have gained from selling them. Background checks on the family further reveal that none of them have the kind of record that could make them suspicious, such as gambling debts or being secretly poor. The worst crimes this prestigious family has been a part of were drunk driving that only ever murdered a tree, a ten-year-old indecent exposure charge, and a juvenile record for a man who is currently fifty-eight, making it likely not worth the trouble of unsealing. Indeed, in the end, it's revealed the pearls were never truly stolen; the late owner [[spoiler:gave them to his wife's hospice nurse as a gift after his wife's passing and, despite everything being legal, the nurse was happy to return them when asked]].
[[/folder]]