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When Casey James auditioned for American Idol in Denver, he was asked to remove his shirt. The judges, especially Kara DioGuardi and Victoria Beckham, wanted to take a close look at this contestant.

If only producers had done the same.

Radar Online reports that James has a criminal background and has actually served time in county jail. His offenses include: driving while intoxicated, driving with an invalid license and reckless driving.

Maddie Poppe Wins American Idol
(ABC)

In November 2001, the aspiring singer pled guilty to reckless driving, was fined $200 and spent 30 days in jail.

Then, in December 2002, he was arrested for DUI and operating a vehicle with an invalid license. He pled guilty again and was sentenced to 105 total days in jail.

Does this make Casey a bad person? Of course not. But you’d think American Idol would avoid featuring any contestant with a criminal record, even if he does have a body that DioGuardi and Beckham openly swooned over.

James isn’t the only rumored semifinalist with a scandalous past. Todrick Hall came under fire a few years ago for possibly scamming a few families out of thousands of dollars.

Should Idol cut James loose? You tell us.