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ISCR Case 24-00990 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00990

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

Case Profile
Decision Date2/10/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Pamela C. Benson
Government Counsel: Daniel P. O'Reilley
Applicant's Counsel: Lea Trojanowski
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 39-year-old individual with a background in education and public policy, who had served in the United States Air Force Reserves and held a Secret security clearance since 2016. The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) addressed security concerns under Guidelines H (drug involvement and substance misuse), J (criminal conduct), and E (personal conduct) in the Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The core allegations included the applicant's admitted use of marijuana while holding a security clearance and the failure to disclose this drug use on multiple security clearance applications.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to using marijuana on four occasions between 2016 and 2023, including instances while holding a security clearance. He acknowledged that he had not disclosed this information on his security clearance applications, believing it to be insignificant. Although he expressed remorse and made lifestyle changes, including a commitment to abstain from illegal drugs, the administrative judge found that the applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns. The judge ruled that the applicant's admissions and the nature of his conduct raised significant doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately denying his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00990

deniedFeb 10, 2026· Hon. Pamela C. Benson· hearing

Summary

A 39-year-old male applicant, holding a Secret security clearance, was denied continued access to classified information. The denial was based on concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct), Guideline H (Drug Involvement), and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). These concerns stemmed from the applicant's admitted marijuana use while holding a clearance and his falsification of information on security clearance applications.

Specifically, the applicant used marijuana from approximately May 2016 to July 2023, including while in a sensitive position, and purchased marijuana in October 2020. He also falsified material facts on security clearance applications by failing to disclose this illegal drug use and the purchase of marijuana-infused gummies.

The administrative judge determined that the applicant's actions demonstrated a lack of candor and reliability. His admitted marijuana use while holding a clearance and the falsification of information on multiple applications were key factors. The judge concluded that the applicant's attempts at rehabilitation were undermined by his lack of candor and recent drug use, leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using marijuana on multiple occasions while holding a security clearance.
The applicant falsified information on security clearance applications regarding his drug use.
The applicant's attempts to demonstrate rehabilitation were undermined by his lack of candor and recent drug use.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedOct 24, 2024
Answer filedJan 29, 2025
Hearing heldSep 10, 2025via online video teleconferencing
Decision dateFeb 10, 2026

Cite For

Lack of Candor in Security Clearance Applications Under Guideline E
Recent Drug Use While Holding a Security Clearance Under Guideline H
Criminal Conduct Related to Drug Involvement Under Guideline J

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 all allegations under Guideline E, concluding that the applicant falsified material facts on his security clearance application and failed to disclose illegal drug use. The applicant admitted to the allegations but did not provide sufficient mitigation to overcome the concerns regarding his personal conduct.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
3.a	Applicant falsified material facts on a security clearance application.	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—
3.b	Applicant failed to disclose illegal drug use on his security clearance application.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—
3.c	Applicant failed to disclose his purchase of marijuana-infused gummies.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Admitted	—	—	—

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 from May 2016 to July 2023, including while holding a sensitive position. The applicant admitted to using marijuana on four occasions and purchasing it in October 2020. The decision was ultimately denied due to the applicant's drug involvement and failure to disclose this information on his security clearance application.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used marijuana from about May 2016 to about July 2023.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Occasional	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant used marijuana while holding a sensitive position.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant purchased marijuana in October 2020.	Against Applicant	Drug Distribution or DealingWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	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: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant's drug use raised criminal conduct concerns, specifically regarding his use of marijuana from May 2016 to July 2023. The judge ruled against the applicant on this allegation, concluding that the applicant's conduct was not consistent with national security.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant's drug use raises criminal conduct concerns.	Against Applicant	Drug Related Criminal Charge	Conduct No Charge	Admitted	—	—	—

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.