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ISCR Case 23-00512 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-00512

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/15/2023
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Pamela C. Benson
Government Counsel: Carroll J. Connelley
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 47-year-old individual employed as a manager of physical security for a federal contractor, seeking a security clearance. The Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations) due to the applicant's unresolved delinquent debts totaling approximately $17,116. The SOR outlined that the applicant had not taken sufficient responsible action to address these financial obligations.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to several debts but denied others. He attributed his financial difficulties to factors such as identity theft, periods of unemployment, and his spouse's excessive spending. Despite providing a timeline for debt repayment, he failed to make any payments on most of the debts listed in the SOR, which remained unresolved at the time of the hearing. The applicant's financial situation indicated he was living paycheck to paycheck, with no active payments toward his delinquent debts.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that the financial considerations security concerns were not mitigated. The judge emphasized that the applicant's failure to address his financial responsibilities raised questions about his reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately denying his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against 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. 23-00512

deniedNov 15, 2023· Hon. Pamela C. Benson· hearing

Summary

A 47-year-old federal contractor was denied a security clearance due to unmitigated financial considerations under Guideline F. The applicant faced allegations of multiple delinquent debts totaling approximately $17,116. These included a $12,467 deficiency balance to a credit union following a car repossession, a $1,710 debt to a collection agency for SmileDirect Club, and various other debts to collection agencies for medical providers, a cable utility provider, and an insurance carrier.

While two debts, one for $1,419 to a medical provider and another for $608 to an insurance carrier, were resolved, the majority remained outstanding. Disqualifying conditions related to financial issues were raised, and mitigating conditions were considered.

Ultimately, the clearance was denied because the applicant did not take sufficient responsible action to address his financial responsibilities, and the bulk of the delinquent debts remained unresolved. The applicant failed to demonstrate a track record of responsible financial management, leading to the conclusion that the financial concerns were not mitigated.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant did not take sufficient responsible action to address his financial responsibilities.
The bulk of the applicant’s delinquent debts remain unresolved.
The applicant failed to demonstrate a track record of responsible financial management.

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 Largely Beyond the Person's ControlWhile the applicant experienced identity theft and periods of unemployment, he failed to act responsibly in addressing his debts.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant did not provide evidence of a good-faith effort to resolve his debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for a security clearance is predicated upon the applicant meeting the criteria contained in the adjudicative guidelines.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 29, 2023
Answer filed2023-04-2023
Hearing heldSep 6, 2023via Microsoft Teams
Decision dateNov 15, 2023

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Importance of Demonstrating Responsible Financial Management for Security Clearance Eligibility
Impact of Financial Irresponsibility on Trustworthiness and Reliability in Security Clearance Determinations.

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: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns against the applicant, including unresolved debts totaling over $17,000. While some debts were admitted and resolved, the majority remained unpaid, leading to a denial of the applicant's security clearance due to insufficient mitigation of financial issues.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant is indebted to a credit union for the deficiency balance of $12,467 after his car was repossessed for nonpayment. $12,467	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $1,710 for an account referred by SmileDirect Club due to nonpayment. $1,710	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $1,419 for an account referred by a medical provider due to nonpayment, but this debt has been resolved. $1,419	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $608 for an account referred by a cable utility provider due to nonpayment. $608	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $452 for an account referred by a medical provider due to nonpayment. $452	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.f	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $608 for an account referred by an insurance carrier due to nonpayment, but this debt has been resolved. $608	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.g	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $170 for an account referred by a medical provider due to nonpayment. $170	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.h	Applicant is indebted to a collection agency in the amount of $105 for an account referred by a medical provider due to nonpayment. $105	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—

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.