Clearance Applicant Denied Due to Being Involved in Sex Trafficking

It is one thing to solicit prostitutes for sex in a place where it is legal to do so. It is quite another to assist in bringing them into the country for the purpose of working as a prostitute. That is exactly what one defense contractor got caught doing by an undercover Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) asset. Here is a summary of his clearance denial appeal to the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA).

In 2018 the applicant worked as a defense contractor overseas and used a dating app to meet with women. He was interacting with a 22-year-old woman on the dating app and she told him her and her 17-year-old friend were coming to visit his location and needed a place to stay. He agreed to let them stay for rent money and oral sex. After meeting with their handler and agreeing to terms, the applicant arranged to pick the women up from the airport but got cold feet and blew it off. Subsequently, an NCIS agent contacted him for an interview about an investigation into the handler, during which the applicant claimed no knowledge of the prostitution elements of their meeting.  However, NCIS already had a recording of the meeting with the handler, and when he started fabricating lies and was forced to turn over his phone for forensic examination, the gig was up. The applicant ended up getting barred from all military installations in that country.

During a security interview in 2020, the applicant signed a sworn statement claiming he was not aware of or knew anything about the women being prostitutes or one of them being underage. At the DOHA appeal hearing, he claimed he had forgotten the details of the events that occurred two years ago when asked about his false sworn statement. The judge in this case did not find his testimony credible, noting the applicant has not taken responsibility for his conduct and upheld the clearance denial.