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Criminal / Legal History
When you need to determine if someone has a criminal record or pending litigation.
Prioritized Sources & Techniques
1st
PACERP11
Search federal criminal and civil dockets by party name
2nd
CourtListener / RECAPP12
Free-text search of millions of federal court documents
3rd
BAILIIP13
UK/Ireland court judgments and tribunal decisions
4th
INTERPOL Red NoticesP15
Check international wanted persons database
5th
State Court Websites
Most US states have free online docket searches
6th
SEC EDGARP9
Enforcement actions, consent decrees, administrative proceedings
7th
FINRA BrokerCheckT9
Disclosure events: regulatory actions, customer complaints, criminal matters
Recommended Workflow
PACER covers all US federal courts; pair with CourtListener for free access to cached documents. For state-level cases, check individual state court websites. INTERPOL Red Notices cover international fugitives.