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ISCR Case 24-02277 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 24-02277

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/23/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Charles C. Hale
Government Counsel: Andre M. Gregorian
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 33-year-old aerospace electrical technician who sought a security clearance. The Department of Defense (DoD) raised security concerns under Guidelines H (Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse), J (Criminal Conduct), and G (Alcohol Consumption) in a Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued on May 6, 2024. The core allegations included the applicant's admitted use of cocaine from June 2017 to January 2024 and his consumption of alcohol to the point of impaired judgment twice a month.
The applicant admitted to using cocaine at social gatherings and consuming alcohol heavily, which he acknowledged led to impaired judgment. He stated that he had stopped using cocaine prior to submitting his security clearance application, citing concerns about job security. However, he continued to associate with individuals who used cocaine and did not provide evidence of a pattern of abstinence or actions taken to mitigate his substance use issues. The administrative judge found that the applicant's recent drug and alcohol use raised significant doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's eligibility for a security clearance. The judge concluded that the applicant's admissions and the lack of mitigating evidence indicated that his substance use behavior was recent and ongoing, which did not support a finding of reliability or trustworthiness necessary for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline GAlcohol Consumption · Against Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · Against Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-02277

deniedJan 23, 2026· Hon. Charles C. Hale· hearing

Summary

A 33-year-old aerospace electrical technician was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline G (Alcohol Consumption), Guideline H (Drug Involvement), and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct). The applicant admitted to using cocaine with varying frequency from June 2017 to January 2024, and consuming alcohol to the point of impaired judgment twice a month. These admissions raised disqualifying conditions related to drug involvement, criminal conduct, and alcohol consumption.

The judge determined that the applicant's recent and frequent cocaine use, coupled with regular alcohol consumption leading to impaired judgment, demonstrated a pattern of conduct that undermined his reliability and trustworthiness. Specifically, the applicant admitted to cocaine use over a significant period, ending just prior to the decision, and ongoing alcohol misuse.

The denial was based on the applicant's failure to provide sufficient evidence of rehabilitation or a consistent pattern of abstinence from drug and alcohol use. The judge concluded that the security concerns raised by the admitted conduct were not mitigated, leading to the denial of the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to using cocaine from June 2017 to January 2024, which was recent and frequent.
The applicant consumed alcohol to the point of impaired judgment, which he admitted occurred twice a month.
The applicant did not provide sufficient evidence of rehabilitation or a pattern of abstinence from drug and alcohol use.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25(a)appliedSubstance Misuse
AG ¶ 25(c)appliedIllegal Possession of a Controlled Substance
AG ¶ 31(b)appliedEvidence of Criminal Conduct
AG ¶ 22(c)appliedHabitual or Binge Consumption of Alcohol

Key Rule Quoted

“An applicant has the ultimate burden of demonstrating that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to grant or continue his security clearance.”
— ISCR Case No. 01-20700 at 3 (App. Bd. Dec. 19, 2002)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 6, 2024
Answer filedMay 16, 2024
Hearing heldDec 10, 2025Decision on the record without a hearing.
Decision dateJan 23, 2026

Cite For

Recent Drug Use and Alcohol Consumption Leading to Impaired Judgment Under Guidelines H and G
Failure to Mitigate Security Concerns Related to Substance Misuse
Importance of Demonstrating Rehabilitation for 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 G (Alcohol Consumption) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant consumes alcohol to the point of impaired judgment twice a month, which raised concerns under Guideline G. The judge ruled against the applicant on this allegation, concluding that it was not consistent with national security interests to grant clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Incident	Response	Disqualifying (¶22)	Mitigating applied (¶23)	Mitigation
3.a	You consume alcohol to the point of impaired judgment twice a month.	Against Applicant	Binge or Intoxication Pattern	Admitted	(c) habitual or binge consumption to the point of impaired judgment	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline G). 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 cocaine with varying frequency from June 2017 to January 2024. The applicant admitted to this use but did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the security concerns. The outcome of the case was a denial of the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	You used cocaine with varying frequency from June 2017 to January 2024.	Against Applicant	Cocaine	Frequent	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 against the applicant on the criminal conduct allegations related to drug use. The applicant admitted to using cocaine and consuming alcohol to the point of impaired judgment, which raised significant security concerns. Ultimately, the judge concluded that granting the applicant eligibility for access to classified information was not consistent with national security interests.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Offense	Criminal disposition	Response	Disqualifying (¶31)	Mitigating applied (¶32)	Mitigation
2.a	You have a history of criminal conduct related to drug use.	Against Applicant	Drug Related Criminal Charge	Conduct No Charge	Admitted	(a) pattern of minor offenses casting doubt on judgment/reliability (c) currently on parole or probation	—	—

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.