Polygraph Interview with Other Agency Results in DoD Clearance Revocation

Many on this site have asked if the results of a polygraph taken with another agency can result in a security clearance revocation with your current employer. The answer is yes if the conduct or issues disclosed in the polygraph fall within the 13 adjudicative guidelines that apply to all clearance holders regardless of the level of access. A DoD contractor found this out recently when his clearance was revoked based upon information he disclosed during a polygraph-assisted interview with another agency and the subsequent appeal was denied by the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA). Here is a summary of the case:

The contractor had held a security clearance since the 1980s, first with the military, and then as a government contractor. In 2003 he was granted SCI access. During a polygraph-assisted interview with another agency (I assume an IC component) he disclosed his proclivity to routinely soliciting prostitutes and masseuses in order to engage in sexual acts or, as he put it, to get “happy endings.” This behavior had occurred since he was in the Navy from 1981 to as recently as 2016, according to what he told his psychologist. However, when questioned further on it, he admitted he continued to visit massage parlors all the way up until November 2017. You can read the entire case here.

What is the concern here? For over 25 years while holding a security clearance he engaged in sexual behavior (sometimes overseas with foreign nationals) that made him vulnerable to exploitation or blackmail. Add to this the fact he could not stop the behavior even after being issued an SOR and facing revocation of his clearance. Guideline D: Sexual Behavior is rarely used in clearance denials, but in this case it appears to be warranted.