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ISCR Case 25-00622 — CASE

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ISCR Case 25-00622

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

Case Profile
Decision Date2/23/2026
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Richard A. Cefola
Government Counsel: Carroll J. Connelley
Applicant's Counsel: Matthew J. Thomas
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 26-year-old employee of a defense contractor who held a security clearance since June 2022. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guidelines H (Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse) and E (Personal Conduct). The core allegations included the applicant's past illegal drug use and the alleged falsification of his security clearance application regarding his drug history.
The applicant admitted to using marijuana, cocaine, and LSD during his college years but claimed to have ceased all drug use by 2021. He provided evidence of his efforts to mitigate these concerns, including taking drug courses and testing negative for illegal substances in 2025 and 2026. Regarding the allegations of falsification, the applicant denied intentional wrongdoing, attributing his inaccurate responses to poor advice from his father. He later disclosed his drug use in a subsequent application, which the judge found credible but not indicative of willful deceit.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the applicant's past drug use was sufficiently mitigated by his demonstrated abstinence and proactive measures. The judge also determined that the applicant's omissions in his e-QIP were not deliberate falsifications but rather misguided responses based on advice he received, thus not warranting disqualification under the personal conduct guideline.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · For Applicant
- Guideline HDrug Involvement & Substance Misuse · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00622

grantedFeb 23, 2026· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A 26-year-old defense contractor employee was granted a security clearance despite concerns under Guideline H (Drug Involvement) and Guideline E (Personal Conduct). The applicant admitted to using marijuana from October 2017 to March 2022, cocaine from March 2019 to October 2022, and LSD twice in 2020.

The applicant denied falsifying his March 2022 e-QIP regarding drug use, with the judge ultimately finding that any alleged falsifications were due to misguided advice rather than deliberate intent.

The decision to grant the clearance was based on the applicant's demonstrated rehabilitation, including negative drug tests and completion of drug courses. The judge also noted that the applicant's past drug use was infrequent and occurred several years prior, mitigating concerns about current reliability.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated rehabilitation through negative drug tests and completion of drug courses.
The applicant's past drug use was infrequent and occurred several years prior, mitigating concerns about current reliability.
The applicant's alleged falsifications were attributed to misguided advice rather than deliberate intent.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 25 (a)raisedDrug Involvement and Substance Misuse
AG ¶ 16 (a)raisedDeliberate Omission or Falsification

Mitigating

AG ¶ 26 (a)appliedBehavior Occurred Long Ago and Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 26 (b)appliedAcknowledgment of Drug Involvement and Evidence of Actions Taken to Overcome It
AG ¶ 17 (c)appliedMinor Offense or Unique Circumstances

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”
— AG ¶ 2(b)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 20, 2025
Answer filedJun 10, 2025
Hearing heldJan 22, 2026
Decision dateFeb 23, 2026

Cite For

Mitigating Conditions for Past Drug Use Under Guideline H
Considerations for Personal Conduct Related to Alleged Falsification Under Guideline E
The Importance of Rehabilitation and Intent in Security Clearance Decisions

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant did not deliberately falsify his e-QIP regarding illegal drug use. The applicant's responses were based on advice from his father, which the judge considered misguided but not intentional. Ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant mitigated the personal conduct concerns and granted eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant denies that he falsified his March 2022 e-QIP when he answered 'No,' to 'Section 23 – Illegal Use of Drugs or Drug Activity.'	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseNOT DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Denied	—	(c) offense is minor, long ago, infrequent, or unique circumstances	—
2.b	Applicant denies that he falsified his March 2022 e-QIP when he answered 'Yes' to 'Section 23 – Illegal Use of Drugs or Drug Activity . . . In the Last seven (7) years.'	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseNOT DELIBERATE	Drug Involvement	Denied	—	(c) offense is minor, long ago, infrequent, or unique circumstances	—

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant admitted to using marijuana, cocaine, and LSD, but concluded that the applicant mitigated the concerns related to drug involvement and substance misuse. The decision was granted, indicating that the applicant's past drug use did not disqualify him from holding a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Substance / event	Use level	Response	Disqualifying (¶25)	Mitigating applied (¶26)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admits that he used marijuana, with varying frequency, from about October 2017 to about March 2022.	For Applicant	MarijuanaWHILE CLEARED	Unspecified	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse	(c) prescription abuse followed a prolonged illness and has since ended	Documented Abstinence Period Documented Claimed Severed Ties to Using Friends Documented Substance Treatment Completed
1.b	Applicant admits that he used cocaine, with varying frequency, from about March 2019 to about October 2022.	For Applicant	CocaineWHILE CLEARED	Unspecified	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse	(c) prescription abuse followed a prolonged illness and has since ended	Documented Abstinence Period Documented Claimed Severed Ties to Using Friends Documented Substance Treatment Completed
1.d	Applicant admits that he used LSD, 'twice with friends in college,' once in February 2020 and again in August 2020.	For Applicant	LSDWHILE CLEARED	Experimental	Admitted	(a) any substance misuse	(c) prescription abuse followed a prolonged illness and has since ended	Documented Abstinence Period Documented Claimed Severed Ties to Using Friends Documented Substance Treatment Completed

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.