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ISCR Case 22-00976 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 22-00976

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/23/2023
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Candace Le'i Garcia
Government Counsel: Jeff Kent
Case Summary
Applicant, a 34-year-old dual citizen of Russia and the United States, sought a security clearance from the Department of Defense (DOD). The Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued against her cited concerns under Guideline B (foreign influence) and Guideline F (financial considerations). The core allegations included her financial support to her father and stepmother, both residing in Russia, and her delinquent debts totaling over $25,000.
In her response to the SOR, Applicant admitted to providing financial support to her father and denied the allegations related to her debts, claiming she had resolved them prior to the SOR issuance. She attributed her previous financial difficulties to various personal circumstances, including medical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite her efforts to mitigate the financial concerns, the administrative judge found that the foreign influence concerns were not sufficiently addressed, particularly given the geopolitical context of Russia and its potential threats to U.S. national security.
The administrative judge ruled against Applicant, denying her eligibility for access to classified information. The judge concluded that while Applicant had mitigated the financial concerns, the ongoing ties to her family in Russia and the associated risks of foreign influence remained significant and unresolved, leading to the denial of her security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline BForeign Influence · Against Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 22-00976

deniedMar 23, 2023· Hon. Candace Le'i Garcia· hearing

Summary

A 34-year-old dual citizen of Russia and the U.S. was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline B (Foreign Influence) and Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons detailed six delinquent consumer debts totaling $24,212 and five delinquent medical debts totaling $1,463. These financial issues were ultimately mitigated.

However, significant foreign influence concerns remained. The applicant's father, stepmother, and three half-sisters are all citizens and residents of Russia. The applicant provided quarterly financial support to her father and maintained weekly telephonic and electronic contact with her father and stepmother, along with monthly electronic contact with her half-sisters.

Despite resolving her financial debts, the applicant did not mitigate the foreign influence concerns. Her dual citizenship and ongoing financial support to family in Russia, combined with frequent contact, were deemed to create a heightened risk of foreign exploitation and coercion. Consequently, the security clearance application was denied.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant did not mitigate foreign influence concerns due to her dual citizenship and financial support to family in Russia.
The applicant's family ties in Russia create a heightened risk of foreign exploitation and coercion.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG 7(a)raisedContact with Foreign Family MembersThe applicant has ongoing contact with family members in Russia, which creates a heightened risk of foreign exploitation.
AG 7(b)raisedConnections to Foreign PersonsThe applicant's familial connections to Russia present a potential conflict of interest.

Mitigating

AG 20(b)appliedConditions Beyond ControlThe applicant's financial issues were largely due to circumstances beyond her control.
AG 20(d)appliedGood-faith Effort to Resolve DebtsThe applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to resolve her financial obligations.

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 24, 2022
Answer filedJun 29, 2022
Hearing held—Applicant requested a decision on the written record instead of a hearing.
Decision dateMar 23, 2023

Cite For

Foreign Influence Concerns Related to Dual Citizenship Under Guideline B
Mitigation of Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Impact of Familial Ties in Foreign Countries on Security Clearance Eligibility

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 B (Foreign Influence) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on all allegations related to foreign influence due to her ties to family members in Russia, which were deemed to create a heightened risk of foreign exploitation. The applicant admitted to providing financial support to her father and maintaining contact with her family in Russia, leading to the denial of her security clearance application.

Country conditions:the decision took administrative notice of official facts about the foreign country (the Government’s country submission).

U.S. ties the decision noted: Naturalized U.S. Citizen · U.S. Spouse or Partner · U.S. Children · U.S. Home or Property · U.S. Career or Business

¶	Allegation	Finding	Relationship	Country	Response	Disqualifying (¶7)	Mitigating applied (¶8)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant's father is a citizen and resident of Russia, and she provided him with quarterly financial support as of the date of the SOR.	Against Applicant	Parent in Foreign Country Immediate Family	Russia HEIGHTENED RISK	Admitted	(a) contact with a foreign family member/associate/friend creating a heightened risk of exploitation	—	—
1.b	Her stepmother and three half-sisters are also citizens and residents of Russia.	Against Applicant	Extended Family in Foreign Country Extended Family	Russia HEIGHTENED RISK	Admitted	(a) contact with a foreign family member/associate/friend creating a heightened risk of exploitation	—	—
1.c	She has weekly telephonic and electronic contact with her father and stepmother and monthly electronic contact with her half-sisters.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Foreign Relationship Other	Russia HEIGHTENED RISK	Admitted	(a) contact with a foreign family member/associate/friend creating a heightened risk of exploitation	—	—

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

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant had six delinquent consumer debts totaling $24,212 and five delinquent medical debts totaling $1,463. Despite the applicant's claims of having settled these debts, the judge ruled against the applicant on all financial allegations, concluding that the financial issues raised significant security concerns.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant had six delinquent consumer debts totaling $24,212. $24,212	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	Claimed Debt Paid in Full
2.b	Five delinquent medical debts totaling $1,463. $1,463	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Denied	—	—	Claimed Debt Paid in Full
2.c–2.k	9 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (for the applicant). (low confidence)	For Applicant			—	—	—

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.