PSH-19-0013 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On May 29, 2019, an Administrative Judge issued a decision in which he determined that an individual’s access authorization should not be restored. In a Notification Letter issued to the Individual, the DOE alleged the existence of derogatory information under Adjudicative Guidelines E and F. The DOE alleged that the Individual had submitted false and misleading information to the DOE as part of the security clearance process and that she had a history of failing to meet her financial obligations. After conducting a hearing, the Administrative Judge determined that (1) the Individual had a history of failing to meet her financial obligations; (2) she continued to be unable to satisfy her financial obligations, as evinced by the fact that her monthly expenses exceeded her income, and she continued to exhibit problematic financial behavior; (3) the Individual intentionally provided false information and omitted relevant information to the DOE as part of the security investigation process; and (4) she failed to present sufficient evidence to demonstrate that her concerning behavior related to providing information to the DOE was unlikely to recur. The Administrative Judge therefore concluded that the Individual had not mitigated the security concerns and accordingly concluded that the Individual’s access authorization should not be restored. OHA Case No. PSH-19-0013 (James P. Thompson III).