Multi-Millionaire Denied Clearance Eligibility

I don’t see more than a handful of Defense Office of Hearing and Appeal cases where the applicant is denied security clearance eligibility due to having monies, property and business dealing outside of the United States. This one caught my eye because it involved a multi-millionaire who had assets in India. Here are the highlights of the case:

The applicant was born in India and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. His wife is also a naturalized citizen originally from Vietnam. His total net worth in the U.S. is around 24 million dollars. Additionally, he owns a business and property portfolio in India worth around 2 million dollars. One of the assets is a large company that does business with the Indian government and has around 800 employees.

Why is this a security concern? According to the DOHA judge, India is listed by the U.S. State Department at a level two for travel advisories due to crime, violence, torture and terrorism. As well, the government is accused of significant human rights violations, targeting of minorities, and censorship of freedom of speech issues. Concerns specifically related to the applicant, even though he has significant assets in the U.S., his assets in India create a heightened risk of foreign influence, exploitation, or personal conflict of interests that could be used against the national security of the U.S. Security clearance eligibility was denied under Guideline B: Foreign Influence.