Up until Customs was merged into DHS post-9/11, i know for sure that seizure letters from Treasury did not come up on full-field background investigations at the NSI TS level. I have no idea if DHS seizure notices would come up now, but i'd bet it'd be 50/50 odds for a new or periodic TS investigation.

Any arrest is a different story. An arrest logged in to the FBI's NCIS would show up immediately from the "agency check," and the agency processing a clearance at any level would call you in for questioning about any arrest you have to tell them about, no matter how petty the crime.

It's a lot like the Arlo Guthrie song Alice's Restaurant ... all on tape. Don't ask. It was all because of a 50-cent subway fare when the token booth had run out of tokens. The arrest was for a 15-years-prior Theft of Services with the case dismissed after 6 months. They approved the clearance the very next day, but only after taping the story and having me agree in writing to take a polygraph on request. For a TS-equivalent, some agencies still ask(ed) if you were EVER arrested. Even if it was a dismissed misdemeanor from 30 years ago you might still have to put it on the form. For just an S-level i think they don't go back forever any more.

Trampy

P.S. It's been quite a while since i had a clearance, and they now have federal regulations supposedly standardizing the requirements across agencies. I do know that they're using any mental health care received in recent years as a reason to go on a fishing expedition through people's medical and counseling records. The "Vince Foster" Executive Order barring them from obtaining medical and mental health records was rescinded by Little Bush right after he took office.