CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 24-00603 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 24-00603

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date8/29/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Caroline E. Heintzelman
Government Counsel: John Renehen
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 36-year-old instrumentation technician who sought a security clearance from the Department of Defense (DOD). The Statement of Reasons (SOR) raised concerns under Guidelines H (drug involvement and substance misuse), E (personal conduct), and J (criminal conduct), primarily alleging the applicant's long history of marijuana use and a 2008 arrest for misdemeanor marijuana possession. The applicant admitted to the allegations but claimed a misunderstanding regarding the nondisclosure of his arrest on his Security Clearance Application (SCA).
The administrative judge found that the applicant had a significant history of marijuana use from 2005 until July 2023, which included daily use during high school and various frequencies thereafter. Although he claimed to have ceased use due to the security clearance requirements, he expressed a willingness to resume if not for those demands. The judge noted that the applicant's admissions and the lack of evidence of rehabilitation or a pattern of abstinence did not sufficiently mitigate the concerns raised by his drug involvement and personal conduct.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, denying his national security eligibility for access to classified information. The decision emphasized that the applicant's extensive history of drug misuse and his failure to demonstrate a commitment to abstaining from such behavior raised significant doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness, which are critical for national security positions.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · For Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00603

deniedAug 29, 2025· Hon. Caroline E. Heintzelman· hearing

Summary

A 36-year-old instrumentation technician was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct), Guideline H (Drug Involvement), and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). The denial stemmed primarily from the applicant's extensive history of marijuana use and a failure to disclose relevant information on his security clearance application.

Specifically, the applicant admitted to using marijuana from approximately 2005 until July 2023. He also failed to disclose a November 2008 arrest for misdemeanor marijuana possession on his August 2023 security clearance application. These omissions and the prolonged drug use raised significant concerns about his personal conduct and drug involvement.

While mitigating conditions were considered regarding the criminal conduct, the judge ultimately found the applicant's long history of drug use and lack of credibility regarding his disclosures to be overriding factors. The inconsistent statements about his drug use and arrest history further undermined his credibility, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had a long history of marijuana use from 2005 to July 2023, which raised significant security concerns.
The applicant failed to disclose a 2008 arrest for marijuana possession on his security clearance application, undermining his credibility.
The applicant's inconsistent statements regarding his drug use and arrest history further eroded his credibility.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 16(a)raisedFalsification of Security Clearance Application

Mitigating

AG ¶ 32(a)appliedTime Elapsed Since Criminal Behavior
AG ¶ 32(d)appliedEvidence of Rehabilitation

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedApr 26, 2024
Answer filed—Applicant submitted an undated answer.
Hearing held—
Decision dateAug 29, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Involvement Under Guideline H
Failure to Disclose Relevant Information Under Guideline E
Consideration of Credibility in Security Clearance Determinations.

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on the personal conduct allegations, specifically regarding the falsification of his Security Clearance Application by failing to disclose his drug use and a 2008 arrest. The applicant admitted to the allegations but did not establish sufficient mitigation, leading to a denial of his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
3.a	Applicant falsified his August 2023 Security Clearance Application by failing to disclose both his drug use and the 2008 arrest.	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Criminal Conduct	Admitted	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	—	—
3.b	specific text not stated in this decision	Against Applicant	Unspecified Personal Conduct	—	Unknown	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline E). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline H (Drug Involvement) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from approximately 2005 to July 2023 and was arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in November 2008. The judge ruled against the applicant on the drug involvement allegations, citing a long history of drug abuse and failure to establish mitigation.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana with varying frequency from approximately 2005 to July 2023, and he was arrested in November 2008 for misdemeanor marijuana possession.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline H). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline J (Criminal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant had a 2008 misdemeanor arrest for possession of marijuana. Despite the applicant's admission of the arrest, the judge ruled against the applicant, citing a lack of forthrightness regarding his drug use and arrest history. The applicant's failure to disclose this information and his inconsistent explanations during the investigation contributed to the decision to deny the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant's 2008 misdemeanor arrest for possession of marijuana.	For Applicant	Drug Related Criminal Charge	Conduct No Charge	Admitted	(a) pattern of minor offenses casting doubt on judgment/reliability (b) evidence of criminal conduct, regardless of charge or conviction	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline J). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.