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ISCR Case 24-00008 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00008

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/13/2025
Statusdenied
LevelAPPEAL
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the hearing decision (Case 24-00008) →
Participants
Judge: James B. Norman, Moira D. Modzelewski, Allison Marie
Government Counsel: Andrea M. Corrales
Case Summary
The applicant in this case sought a security clearance from the Department of Defense (DoD) but was denied due to concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) of the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined 23 delinquent consumer debts totaling approximately $22,800, along with delinquent federal taxes of about $11,100 and a failure to file a state income tax return for the year 2022. The applicant admitted to the federal tax delinquency and four consumer debts but denied the remaining allegations.
The administrative judge found that the applicant had a significant history of financial indebtedness and noted that it was unclear why the applicant had accumulated such a large amount of delinquent debt. While the applicant had made some efforts to address his debts, the judge highlighted that many debts had been ignored for years, and the applicant had chosen to take advantage of consumer laws to avoid payment. The judge concluded that the applicant had not demonstrated good judgment or responsibility, ultimately ruling that the applicant could not be trusted with national security responsibilities.
On appeal, the applicant argued that the judge had erred in her findings and misapplied mitigating factors. However, the appeal board affirmed the judge's decision, stating that the record supported the findings and that the applicant's recent efforts to resolve debts were insufficient to mitigate the financial concerns. The board emphasized that any doubts regarding personnel considered for national security eligibility must be resolved in favor of national security.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00008

Mar 13, 2025· Hon. James B. Norman· appeal

Summary

A security clearance applicant, represented by counsel, was denied under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to unresolved financial issues. These included delinquent consumer debts and a federal tax delinquency. The applicant admitted to some debts and claimed efforts to resolve them, but the appeal board ultimately upheld the denial.

The board cited a history of financial indebtedness that raised security concerns. Specifically, the applicant had ignored many debts for several years before attempting resolution. The timing of these debt resolution efforts was a critical factor, suggesting a lack of good judgment and responsibility on the applicant's part.

Disqualifying condition AG ¶ 19 was raised, while mitigating conditions AG ¶ 20(a) and AG ¶ 20(c) were applied. However, these were insufficient to overcome the concerns regarding the applicant's financial history and the belated nature of their efforts to address the outstanding debts. The security clearance was therefore denied.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19raisedFinancial Considerations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedThe Behavior Was Not RecentThe applicant's recent efforts to resolve debts were insufficient to mitigate the financial concerns.
AG ¶ 20(c)rejectedThe Applicant Has Initiated a Good Faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant's efforts were deemed insufficient and poorly timed.

Key Rule Quoted

“The general standard is that a clearance may be granted only when ‘clearly consistent with the interests of the national security.’”
— Dep’t of the Navy v. Egan, 484 U.S. 518, 528 (1988)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedApr 19, 2024
Answer filed—
Hearing held—Decision on written record
Decision dateMar 13, 2025Appeal decision

Cite For

Importance of Timely Debt Resolution in Security Clearance Cases
Evaluation of Financial Irresponsibility Under Guideline F
Standards for Demonstrating Good Judgment in Financial Matters for National Security Eligibility

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

Appeal at a glance· Full written decision

Affirmed

The appeal involved a denial of security clearance based on financial considerations. The applicant argued that the Administrative Judge erred in her findings and misapplied mitigating factors. The Board affirmed the Judge's decision, finding no harmful error in the assessment of the applicant's financial history and responsibility.

Appealed bythe applicant

Applicant representationAttorney

Judge belowDarlene D. Lokey Anderson — denied the clearance (split findings)

Decided onthe written record

Guidelines belowGuideline F

What the Board reviewed

Judge mis-weighed or ignored evidence — raised by the applicantRejected
Applicant contends that the Judge erred in her findings and misapplied the mitigating factors.

Why the Board ruled this way

The Board found that the Judge's conclusions regarding the applicant's financial irresponsibility were reasonable and supported by substantial evidence. The applicant's arguments did not demonstrate harmful error in the Judge's decision-making process.

Standard of review applied

Harmful-error gatekeeperSubstantial-evidence reviewArbitrary-and-capricious reviewProcedural complianceNo de-novo re-decisionNo new evidence on appealDeference to the judge’s credibility calls

Appeal Board panel

Moira Modzelewski — Chair
James B. Norman
Allison Marie

Descriptive structured reading of this decided, public Appeal Board decision — what the case says, not a prediction or advice.

Full decision

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