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ISCR Case 24-01991 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01991

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

Case Profile
Decision Date2/10/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Gatha LaFaye
Government Counsel: Karen A. Moreno-Sayles
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 31-year-old individual who applied for a security clearance on December 20, 2023. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on February 21, 2025, citing security concerns under Guidelines H (drug involvement and substance misuse), J (criminal conduct), and E (personal conduct). The core allegations included the applicant's long history of marijuana use, multiple arrests for marijuana possession, and failure to disclose this information in his security clearance application.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to several allegations, including his daily marijuana use from 2008 until December 2023 and his positive drug test in December 2023. He also acknowledged his arrests for marijuana possession in 2014, 2017, and twice in 2018. However, he denied failing to disclose his criminal history and claimed he did not recall every offense due to the passage of time. The applicant did not provide any documentary evidence to support his case in mitigation and did not respond to the Government's evidence after receiving it.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he failed to mitigate the security concerns raised. The judge noted the applicant's extensive history of drug involvement and criminal conduct, which raised significant doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness. The judge found that the applicant's admissions and the lack of evidence demonstrating a change in behavior or a commitment to abstain from drug use did not satisfy the mitigating conditions outlined in the adjudicative guidelines. Consequently, the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information was denied.
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. 24-01991

deniedFeb 10, 2026· Hon. Gatha LaFaye· hearing

Summary

A 31-year-old male applicant was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct), Guideline H (Drug Involvement), and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). The Statement of Reasons detailed extensive marijuana use, multiple arrests for possession, and a failure to disclose this history on his security clearance application.

Specifically, the applicant used and purchased marijuana almost daily from 2008 to December 2023 and tested positive for marijuana in December 2023. He was arrested for marijuana possession in 2014, 2017, and twice in 2018. The applicant failed to disclose these arrests and his illegal drug use in response to questions in Section 23 of the Security Clearance Application, and also denied ever being charged with an alcohol or illegal drug offense.

The denial was based on the applicant's admitted extensive marijuana use and multiple arrests, his failure to disclose this information in his application, and the lack of sufficient evidence presented to demonstrate rehabilitation or a change in behavior.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

Applicant admitted to extensive marijuana use and multiple arrests for possession.
Applicant failed to disclose his drug use and criminal history in his security clearance application.
Insufficient evidence of rehabilitation or change in behavior was presented by the applicant.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)raisedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(b)raisedTesting Positive for an Illegal Drug
AG ¶ 25(c)raisedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 31(a)raisedPattern of Minor Offenses
AG ¶ 31(b)raisedEvidence of Criminal Conduct
AG ¶ 16(a)raisedDeliberate Omission or Concealment

Key Rule Quoted

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedFeb 21, 2025
Answer filedMay 2, 2025
Hearing held—Applicant elected to have the case decided on the written record.
Decision dateFeb 10, 2026

Cite For

Failure to Disclose Drug Use and Criminal History Under Guideline E
Insufficient Evidence of Rehabilitation Under Guideline H
Pattern of Criminal Conduct Affecting Security Clearance 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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on all allegations under Guideline E, concluding that the applicant failed to disclose his criminal history and illegal drug use during the security clearance process. The applicant's omissions were deemed deliberate, and he did not mitigate the personal conduct concerns.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
3.a	Applicant failed to disclose his criminal history of being arrested multiple times for illegal drug possession.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Criminal Conduct	Denied	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	—	—
3.b	Applicant denied ever being charged with an alcohol or illegal drug offense.	Against Applicant	Lack of Candor in InterviewFOUND DELIBERATE	Criminal Conduct	Denied	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	—	—
3.c	Applicant failed to disclose his illegal drug use in response to questions in Section 23 of the SCA.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Denied	(a) deliberate omission, concealment, or falsification on a security form	—	—

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 had a significant history of marijuana use, including almost daily use from 2008 to December 2023, and multiple arrests for marijuana possession. The applicant tested positive for marijuana in December 2023. The judge concluded that the applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns related to drug involvement, resulting in a denial of the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant used and purchased marijuana almost daily from 2008 to December 2023.	Against Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Regular	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant tested positive for marijuana in December 2023.	Against Applicant	Drug Test FailureWHILE CLEARED	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant was arrested for marijuana possession twice in 2018.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug InvolvementWHILE CLEAREDRelated Misconduct	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant was arrested for marijuana possession in 2017.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug InvolvementWHILE CLEAREDRelated Misconduct	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant was arrested for marijuana possession in 2014.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug InvolvementWHILE CLEAREDRelated Misconduct	Not Applicable	Admitted	—	—	—
1.f–1.g	2 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (against the applicant). (low confidence)	Against Applicant	Unspecified Drug Involvement	Unspecified		—	—	—

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 against the applicant on the allegation of failing to disclose illegal drug use in the last seven years. The applicant admitted to using marijuana almost daily and had multiple arrests for marijuana possession, which contributed to the denial of his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant failed to disclose his illegal drug use in the last seven years.	Against 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.