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ISCR Case 20-00756 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 20-00756

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date3/24/2021
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert Robinson Gales
Government Counsel: Brittany C. M. White
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 52-year-old employee of a defense contractor who had served in various capacities with the U.S. Army from 1991 to 2016. He applied for a security clearance in January 2018, but the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) in June 2020, citing concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The SOR detailed six delinquent accounts totaling approximately $76,080, which raised questions about the applicant's financial responsibility and reliability.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to two of the allegations related to unpaid medical bills and acknowledged the existence of a student loan in default. He attributed his financial difficulties to factors such as his divorce and child support obligations but provided no substantial evidence of efforts to resolve his debts, such as repayment plans or financial counseling. The administrative judge noted that the applicant's financial situation remained unclear, as he did not provide a budget or evidence of improved financial management.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, denying his eligibility for a security clearance. The judge concluded that the applicant failed to mitigate the security concerns related to his financial issues, emphasizing the importance of financial responsibility in maintaining trustworthiness for access to classified information. The decision underscored that the applicant did not present sufficient evidence to alleviate the doubts raised by the government's case.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-00756

deniedMar 24, 2021· Hon. Robert Robinson Gales· hearing

Summary

A 52-year-old defense contractor employee was denied a security clearance under Guideline F, Financial Considerations, due to unresolved debts totaling approximately $76,080. The applicant faced six allegations, including having multiple delinquent accounts placed for collection and failing to provide evidence of resolving any of these debts. He also did not present a plan to address charged-off debts on his credit report and was deemed unwilling to satisfy even smaller debts.

The applicant admitted to two of the allegations concerning his financial situation. However, he did not submit documentary evidence demonstrating efforts to resolve any of the delinquent accounts. This lack of mitigation raised concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness, leading to the application of Disqualifying Conditions AG ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c).

While Mitigating Condition AG ¶ 20(b) was considered, the judge ultimately found that the applicant failed to adequately address his financial issues. The absence of sufficient evidence regarding his efforts to resolve the approximately $76,080 in delinquent accounts resulted in the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant failed to provide documentary evidence of efforts to resolve his delinquent accounts.
He admitted to having six delinquent accounts totaling approximately $76,080, which he did not adequately address.
The judge found that the applicant's financial issues raised significant questions about his reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person's ControlThe applicant's financial issues were attributed to personal circumstances but were not deemed beyond his control.

Key Rule Quoted

“"Eligibility for a security clearance is denied."”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 1, 2020
Answer filedJun 12, 2020Applicant elected to have his case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateMar 24, 2021

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Significant Questions About Reliability and Trustworthiness Due to Financial Issues
Importance of Providing Documentary Evidence in Financial Cases

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on all allegations under Guideline F, citing significant delinquent accounts totaling approximately $76,080. The applicant failed to provide evidence of resolving these debts or a plan to address them, leading to a denial of the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has six delinquent accounts that were placed for collection, totaling approximately $76,080. $76,080	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant admitted two of the SOR allegations pertaining to financial considerations. $564	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant has not submitted documentary evidence to show that he has resolved any of the delinquent accounts alleged in the SOR. $264	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant has not provided a plan to resolve the charged-off debts on his credit report. $218	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant has been unwilling to satisfy his debts, even those of less than $300, regardless of an ability to do so. $9,189	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.f	Applicant has failed to mitigate the security concerns arising from his financial considerations. $4,111	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline F). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.