I have held a security clearance since 2014 and it is coming up for renewal. I did something extremely stupid last week and received summons to criminal court for petit larceny misdemeanor ($200+) I am in my 40s and other than 2 traffic tickets a years ago, I have excellent credit, no debt (besides a mortgage) or back taxes etc. Squeaky clean record, excellent ratings/awards every year etc…
I have engaged a criminal defense lawyer who advised me to be proactive (1) seek counseling, (2) complete shoplifting course and (3) volunteer for community service. She is working towards a “no prosequi” at best and a dismissal as the worst case scenario. The court date is scheduled for the end of November which she is hoping to move to December to allow for more time to complete my to-do list.
I will need to disclose this to my agency’s security officer within 10 business days (I plan to do so on Friday which is Day 7).
I have been so sick with worry and am extremely depressed about what the future outlook will look like. Will I lose my clearance and therefore my job, my children and I will no longer have health insurance, I won’t be able to find another federal or federal related job in my field which I have dedicated over 20 years to and yes, I know, this was my own fault. I am hoping what we are allowed to make a mistake and recover. has anyone been in/know of a similar situation and what the outcome is? Trying to anticipate what to expect in the coming months, when does the security clearance renewal process typically initiate?
Any input or words of encouragement is much appreciated 
Thanks for the input Larry, I am federal employee at an agency (not DoD), I will be reporting the incident today
Would it be better to just quit my job so that my ratings are not affected and find a job not requiring clearance? I imagine if I’m suspended, I cannot perform my job and thus, will have negative ratings.
Is this the guide you were thinking of?
DoDM 5000.02 Procedures for the DoD Personnel Security Program (https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodm/520002m.PDF#page56)
Larry thank you, that is really helpful. I’ve been with this agency for over 4 years (non-DoD) and 12 years as a Federal employee. While we all have secret clearances, none of the material we deal with are classified, mostly FOUO… so not sure if that impacts the type of work I’d be doing if suspended? I do feel much better that the position does not get suspended, it was depressing looking for alternate work that did not require clearance (not very many/much lower grade). I am deeply embarrassed that this has happened but want to be positive and work through this. If I understand the SAG guidelines, the citation in itself is more important than the outcome (dismissal/case dropped/expunged). Looking at the mitigating factors that I currently have/working on;
1 - completed the Theft Awareness Course,
2 - will start good-faith voluntary community service tomorrow (I plan to complete 50 hours by my court date),
3 - working on seeing a therapist just to understand why
4 - no other records, ever
Do you think there a positive outcome is realistic give that this just happened???
Also, will my coworkers/supervisors be informed of the suspension and the underlying cause?
Thank you so much Larry for your insight!!!
Thanks Larry, do they suspend you before the court date/disposition? How long once suspended does it take to get to a final resolution?