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ISCR Case 24-00913 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00913

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

Case Profile
Decision Date6/13/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionsSee the appeal decision (Case 24-00913) →See the hearing decision (Case 24-00913) →
Participants
Judge: Roger C. Wesley
Government Counsel: Troy L. Nussbaum
Applicant's Counsel: Brittany Forester
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 27-year-old engineer employed by a defense contractor, seeking a security clearance. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing concerns under the drug involvement and substance misuse guidelines (Guideline H) and personal conduct guidelines (Guideline E). The allegations included the applicant's use of marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, and cocaine while holding a security clearance, as well as falsifying information on electronic questionnaires regarding his drug use.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the drug use allegations but characterized them as experimental and claimed he had not purchased the substances himself. He asserted that he had reported his drug use during previous background investigations and had taken steps to prevent future occurrences. However, he acknowledged that he deliberately omitted his drug history in his e-QIPs due to concerns about the impact on his security clearance. The administrative judge found that while the applicant mitigated concerns related to drug involvement and substance abuse, he did not sufficiently mitigate the personal conduct concerns stemming from his omissions in the e-QIPs.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, denying eligibility for access to classified information. The decision emphasized the importance of honesty and transparency in the security clearance process, noting that the applicant's deliberate omissions raised significant trustworthiness concerns.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00913

deniedJun 13, 2025· Hon. Roger C. Wesley· hearing

Summary

A 27-year-old engineer's application for a security clearance was denied due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct), Guideline H (Drug Involvement), and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). The applicant was alleged to have used marijuana from approximately August 2017 to July 2021, psychedelic mushrooms in April 2019, and cocaine in August 2022, all while holding access to classified information.

Additionally, the applicant allegedly falsified his electronic questionnaires for investigations (e-QIPs) in March 2018 and January 2023 by omitting his past illegal drug use. While some mitigating conditions related to drug involvement were considered, they were not sufficient to overcome the security concerns.

The administrative judge denied the application because the applicant admitted to using illegal drugs while cleared, and his omissions in the e-QIPs were considered deliberate and a lack of candor. The disclosures regarding his drug use were also deemed too late to meet the promptness required for mitigation.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using illegal drugs while holding a security clearance, raising ongoing security concerns.
The applicant's omissions in his e-QIPs were deemed deliberate and indicative of a lack of candor.
The applicant's disclosures about his drug use were made too late to satisfy the promptness required for mitigation.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

DC ¶ 25(a)raisedAny Substance Misuse
DC ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
DC ¶ 25(f)raisedIllegal Drug Use While Granted Access to Classified Information
DC ¶ 31(a)raisedPattern of Minor Offenses
DC ¶ 31(b)raisedEvidence of Criminal Conduct
DC ¶ 16(a)raisedDeliberate Omission or Falsification of Relevant Facts

Mitigating

MC ¶ 26(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago or Was Infrequent
MC ¶ 26(b)rejectedAcknowledges Drug Involvement and Provides Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome the Problem
MC ¶ 32(a)rejectedTime Elapsed Since Criminal Behavior
MC ¶ 17(a)rejectedPrompt, Good Faith Efforts to Correct Omissions

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for access to classified information is denied.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 17, 2024
Answer filedOct 31, 2024
Hearing heldJan 22, 2025
Decision dateJun 13, 2025Decision on remand.

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Drug Use While Holding a Clearance
Importance of Candor in Security Clearance Applications
Impact of E-qip Omissions on Security Clearance Eligibility

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: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on allegations of personal conduct related to falsification of electronic questionnaires regarding past illegal drug use. The applicant admitted to the allegations but did not successfully mitigate the concerns raised by his omissions.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant allegedly falsified the electronic questionnaires for investigations process (e-QIP he completed in March 2018 by omitting his past use of illegal drugs).	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Explanation of Omission Credible
2.b	Applicant allegedly repeated his omissions of his past use of illegal drugs in the e-QIP he completed in January 2023.	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Explanation of Omission Credible

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: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant used marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, and cocaine at various times while holding a security clearance. Despite admitting to the drug use, the judge concluded that the applicant's drug involvement raised security concerns that were not mitigated, resulting in a denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant allegedly used marijuana with varying frequency from about August 2017 to about July 2021, to include while granted access to classified information.	For Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Frequent	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.b	Applicant allegedly used psychedelic mushrooms in about April 2019, while granted access to classified information.	For Applicant	PsilocybinWHILE CLEARED	Experimental	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.c	Applicant allegedly used cocaine in about August 2022, while granted access to classified information.	For Applicant	CocaineWHILE CLEARED	Experimental	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse

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

Full decision

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