No, "convicted criminal" is a term that only applies if you are caught, prosecuted, law enforcement carries out the investigation properly, you're not lucky with the pick of the judge, they have better lawyers than you do, and you don't accept a plea bargain.
That's true. I might add that it's also possible to strike a deal where the whole thing is stricken from your record after x years, but we're taking this a bit too far at that point!
