CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 22-02540 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 22-02540

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

Case Profile
Decision Date12/20/2023
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Caroline E. Heintzelman
Government Counsel: Jeff A. Nagel
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 54-year-old secured communications analyst for a Department of Defense contractor, who had previously served in the U.S. Navy and held a top secret security clearance for 16 years. The Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations) and Guideline J (criminal conduct). The allegations included multiple debts and two criminal charges, which the applicant denied.
The applicant admitted to having several debts but claimed they were settled or in the process of being resolved. He attributed his financial difficulties to his wife's health issues, his own unemployment, and a failed business venture. During the hearing, he provided evidence of payments made to resolve his debts, and by the conclusion of the case, he had settled all alleged debts. Regarding the criminal allegations, he explained that the charges were dismissed and provided context for the incidents, asserting that there was no intent to commit theft.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had successfully mitigated the financial and criminal concerns. The judge noted the applicant's proactive steps to resolve his debts, his stable employment, and his military service record as factors supporting his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
- Guideline JCriminal Conduct · For Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 22-02540

grantedDec 20, 2023· Hon. Caroline E. Heintzelman· hearing

Summary

A 54-year-old secured communications analyst and veteran was granted national security eligibility for access to classified information, despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) and Guideline J (Criminal Conduct).

The applicant faced allegations regarding multiple credit card accounts opened between 2006 and 2018, all of which were charged off in 2021. These included a $22,277 debt with a 2022 judgment, a $19,547 debt, a $14,195 debt, a $6,456 debt, a $3,750 debt, and a $3,421 debt. Additionally, a $55 medical debt from 2019, a $3,986.14 judgment from 2022, and a $17,806 judgment from 2020 related to a 2013 credit card were cited.

All alleged debts were resolved prior to the hearing through various payment and settlement agreements, demonstrating the applicant's good-faith effort. Furthermore, past criminal charges were dismissed and did not establish a pattern of behavior affecting reliability or trustworthiness. Consequently, the applicant's eligibility was granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

Applicant resolved all alleged debts prior to the hearing, demonstrating a good-faith effort to address financial issues.
The criminal charges were dismissed, and the incidents did not establish a pattern of behavior that would affect his reliability or trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedBehavior Happened Long Ago or Under Circumstances Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions Resulting in Financial Problems Were Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedIndividual Initiated and Adhered to a Good-faith Effort to Repay Debts

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedFeb 15, 2023
Answer filedApr 12, 2023
Hearing heldJul 11, 2023via video teleconference on Microsoft Teams
Decision dateDec 20, 2023

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Dismissal of Criminal Charges Not Establishing a Pattern of Behavior Under Guideline J
Whole-person Analysis in Security Clearance Decisions

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: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant had resolved all financial debts listed under Guideline F, including credit card debts and a medical debt, through various payment agreements and settlements. As a result, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant on all allegations, concluding that granting the security clearance was consistent with the interests of the United States.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Credit card account opened in 2018 and charged off in 2021, with a judgment filed against Applicant in 2022 for $22,277. Resolved with a payment agreement and subsequent settlement. $22,277	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.b	Credit card account opened in 2017 and charged off in 2021, amounting to $19,547. Resolved with multiple payments. $19,547	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.c	Credit card account opened in 2013 and charged off in 2021, amounting to $14,195. Resolved with a lump-sum payment. $14,195	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.d	Credit card account opened in 2018 and charged off in 2021, amounting to $6,456. Resolved with a lump-sum payment. $6,456	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.e	Medical debt placed for collection in 2019, amounting to $55. Resolved with payment. $55	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.f	Credit card opened in 2008 and charged off in 2021, amounting to $3,750. Resolved with a settlement payment. $3,750	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.g	Credit card opened in 2006 and charged off in 2021, amounting to $3,421. Resolved with a settlement payment. $3,421	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.h	Judgment filed against Applicant in 2022, amounting to $3,986.14. Resolved with payment. $3,986	For Applicant	Judgment Against Applicant	Denied	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.i	Credit card opened in 2013, with a judgment filed against Applicant in 2020 for $17,806. Resolved with a settlement agreement. $17,806	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full

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.