If you ever wondered what could happen if you lied during your security clearance investigation (besides being denied the clearance), one recent story will enlightenment you.
Gurpreet Singh Kohli, age 58, was sentenced to six months of home detention with electric monitoring, three years of overall probation and a $30,000 fine. He pleaded guilty to obstruction of agency proceedings relating to false statements he made to investigators during his clearance background investigation.
In brief, Kohli simultaneously held jobs in the U.S. and India without revealing to either employer information about the other.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Kohli operated a business, NAVTEC, LLC, from India. The company brokered sales of U.S.-manufactured defense electronics. At the same time, Kohli held a position with a defense electronics and weapons manufacturer based in Maryland, for which he was required to obtain and maintain a security clearance. Kohli failed to reveal the extent of his activities with NAVTEC to his Maryland employer, and vice versa.
Kohli “minimized the nature and scope of his activities with NAVTEC and under oath denied that he had any established foreign business contacts or associations with Indian government organizations,” DOJ claimed.
His other offenses include lying to investigators about the purpose of his Indian travel, stating that his foreign travel was limited to matters involving his employment with the Maryland defense contractor and that he did not meet with Indian government officials. In addition, he also lied about the extent of his son’s involvement with NAVTEC during investigations for the son’s security clearance.
In total, the maximum sentence for such offenses is five years in prison.
