Whatever you end up doing, please make a follow-up post on this. Everyone deserves a second chance (though this is confused by the fact that by the time we hear about it, many are already through their fifth)

I see many valid options for you to take: you could be upfront with it in a cover letter, disguise it by using a nickname, move into contracting and do business through an LLC, or come out swinging and make a bigger ruckus in your own favor. Whatever works. I'm preparing to be cancelled, because the truth is an ugly thing, and I want to know what works.