In re the Expungement of the Criminal Records of R.Z.

The opinion of the court was delivered by

OSTRER, J.A.D.

The State appeals from the trial court’s April 2, 2012 order expunging R.Z.’s April 30,1999 judgment of conviction for second-degree theft by deception, N.J.S.A. 2C:20-4, and second-degree *297financial facilitation of criminal activity, known commonly as money laundering. N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25. The State argues the court erred because N.J.S.A. 2C:52-2(a) precludes expungement if the petitioner has been “convicted of any prior or subsequent crime,” and R.Z.’s theft preceded the separate money laundering offense. Petitioner argues the two offenses…