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ISCR Case 25-00026 — CASE

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ISCR Case 25-00026

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

Case Profile
Decision Date12/10/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the appeal decision (Case 25-00026) →
Participants
Judge: Richard A. Cefola
Government Counsel: Aubrey M. De Angelis
Applicant's Counsel: Sean D. Rogers
Case Summary
the conditions that could mitigate security concerns. The administrative judge considered several mitigating factors, including the fact that the applicant's misconduct occurred during his adolescence, was addressed through therapy, and resulted in the charges being dismissed and expunged from his record. The applicant demonstrated a commitment to rehabilitation and maintained a positive trajectory in his life since the incidents.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the mitigating factors outweighed the disqualifying conditions. The judge noted the applicant's age at the time of the offenses, the completion of therapy, and the positive testimony from family members, including the applicant's sister, who had reconciled with him and was successfully serving in the military. The judge emphasized that the applicant's past behavior did not reflect his current reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately determining that granting the security clearance was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline DSexual Behavior · For Applicant
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · For 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.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00026

grantedDec 10, 2025· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A 25-year-old defense contractor employee was granted a security clearance despite allegations under Guidelines D (Sexual Behavior), E (Personal Conduct), and J (Criminal Conduct). The allegations stemmed from sexual misconduct during adolescence, specifically improper sexual relations with his younger adopted sister on four occasions between January 2017 and January 2018. This led to charges of four felony counts of sexual assault on a child and one felony count of enticement of a child.

Disqualifying conditions were raised under Adjudicative Guidelines (AG) ¶ 13(a), AG ¶ 16(e), and AG ¶ 31(b). However, the judge applied several mitigating conditions, including AG ¶ 20(a), AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(e), AG ¶ 17(c), AG ¶ 32(a), and AG ¶ 32(d).

The decision to grant clearance was based on the applicant's significant rehabilitation efforts, which included completing therapy and reconciling with the victim. The judge noted that the past conduct occurred during adolescence and had not recurred. Additionally, the applicant's criminal record was expunged, and he has since maintained a positive reputation in his community.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated significant rehabilitation efforts, including completing therapy and reconciling with the victim.
The applicant's past conduct occurred during adolescence and has not recurred since.
The applicant's criminal record was expunged, and he has maintained a positive reputation in his community.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 13(a)raisedSexual Behavior of a Criminal Nature
AG ¶ 16(e)raisedPersonal Conduct Creating Vulnerability to Exploitation
AG ¶ 31(b)raisedEvidence of Criminal Conduct

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedBehavior Occurred During Adolescence
AG ¶ 20(b)appliedBehavior Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(e)appliedSuccessful Completion of Treatment
AG ¶ 17(c)appliedAcknowledgment of Behavior and Counseling
AG ¶ 32(a)appliedTime Elapsed Since Criminal Behavior
AG ¶ 32(d)appliedEvidence of Successful Rehabilitation

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 27, 2025
Answer filedMay 29, 2025
Hearing heldNov 18, 2025
Decision dateDec 10, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Past Juvenile Conduct Under Guidelines D, E, and J
Successful Rehabilitation Efforts Leading to Favorable Clearance Decisions
Consideration of Age and Maturity in Adjudicating Past Misconduct

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 D (Sexual Behavior) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: granted

The Applicant had improper sexual relations with his younger adopted sister on four occasions between January 2017 and January 2018, which raised significant security concerns. However, the Applicant demonstrated contrition, completed therapy, and had the charges dismissed and expunged, leading to a favorable ruling on the allegations.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶13)	Mitigating applied (¶14)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant had improper sexual relations with his younger adopted sister on four separate occasions, between January 2017 and January of 2018.	For Applicant	Criminal Sexual Conduct	Admitted	—	(e) successfully completed or is in an appropriate treatment program, with demonstrated compliance and/or favorable prognosis	Credited Successful Rehabilitation

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

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant had sexual relations with his underage, adopted sister. However, the applicant was truthful and contrite throughout the hearing, successfully completed therapy, and had the charges against him dismissed and expunged. The judge concluded that the applicant's past conduct did not pose a current security risk, resulting in a favorable decision.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant had sexual relations with his underage, adopted sister.	For Applicant	Questionable Judgment General	—	Admitted	—	(a) prompt, good-faith correction before being confronted	Documented Rehabilitation Evidence Documented Other

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 J (Criminal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found in favor of the applicant regarding the allegations of criminal conduct under Guideline J. The applicant was charged with four felony counts of sexual assault on a child and one felony count of enticement of a child, but successfully completed therapy, leading to the charges being dismissed and expunged from his juvenile record.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
3.a	Applicant was charged with four felony counts of sexual assault on a child, and with one felony count of enticement of a child.	For Applicant	Sexual Offense Criminal	Dismissed or Nolle Prossed	Admitted	—	(a) so much time has passed, or unusual circumstances, that it is unlikely to recur (b) pressured/coerced and unlikely to recur absent that pressure	Documented Rehabilitation Evidence Documented No Subsequent Offenses

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.