PSH-23-0131 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On November 13, 2023, an Administrative Judge determined that an Individual should not be granted access authorization under 10 C.F.R. Part 710. In January 2023, one day after returning from an international trip to visit his wife who resides in India and who he was in the process of sponsoring for U.S. citizenship, the Individual submitted a Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP) in connection with seeking access authorization. On the QNSP, the Individual denied, among other things, having travelled internationally in the prior seven years, close or continuing contacts with foreign nationals, or sponsoring foreign nationals for U.S. citizenship. An investigation into the Individual's eligibility for access authorization revealed the Individual's undisclosed foreign travel, contacts with his wife and other relatives in India, sponsorship of his wife for U .S. citizenship, and other facts showing that the Individual had ties to India which he failed to disclose on the QNSP. At the hearing, the Individual represented that his omissions on the QNSP were minor errors attributable to jet lag and his best efforts to interpret the questions on the QNSP. The Administrative Judge concluded that the Individual had not resolved the security concerns asserted by the LSO under Guidelines B or E, and therefore determined that the Individual should not be granted access authorization. (OHA Case No. PSH-23-0131, Harmonick)