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ISCR Case 22-02588 — CASE

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ISCR Case 22-02588

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/18/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert E. Coacher
Government Counsel: William H. Miller
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 35-year-old field engineer employed by a defense contractor since 2013. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F, primarily related to financial considerations. The allegations included the applicant's failure to file federal and state income tax returns for 2020 and 2021, as well as eight delinquent debts totaling approximately $61,000.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to most of the allegations but denied two specific claims regarding his debts. He explained that his failure to file tax returns was due to a dispute over child support payments, which he believed could be negatively impacted by the tax filings. He also acknowledged his delinquent debts but provided limited evidence of efforts to resolve them. The administrative judge found that the applicant's financial issues indicated a lack of judgment and self-control, which raised concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness. Ultimately, the judge ruled against the applicant, denying his eligibility for access to classified information, citing the unresolved financial obligations and failure to file tax returns as significant factors in the decision.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 22-02588

deniedMar 18, 2024· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 35-year-old field engineer was denied a security clearance under Guideline F, Financial Considerations, due to unresolved financial issues. The Statement of Reasons cited his failure to file federal and state income tax returns for both 2020 and 2021. Additionally, he had eight delinquent debts, either charged off or in collection, totaling approximately $61,000. Two of these delinquent credit card debts were later settled for less than the full amount, one in September 2022 and another in February 2023.

The denial was based on the applicant's failure to file the required tax returns, which raised concerns about his reliability and judgment. Furthermore, he had six outstanding delinquent debts totaling approximately $61,000 that he had not addressed, despite possessing the financial means to do so.

The judge concluded that the applicant's spending choices and his failure to seek financial counseling demonstrated a lack of responsibility, ultimately leading to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant failed to file his 2020 and 2021 federal and state income tax returns, raising concerns about his reliability and judgment.
He has six delinquent debts totaling approximately $61,000, which he has not addressed despite having the financial means to do so.
The applicant's choices regarding spending and failure to seek financial counseling further indicated a lack of responsibility.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(b)raisedUnwillingness to Satisfy Debts Regardless of the Ability to Do So
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 19(f)raisedFailure to File or Fraudulently Filing Annual Federal, State, or Local Income Tax Returns

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”
— AG ¶ 2(b)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJan 9, 2023
Answer filedJan 31, 2023
Hearing heldDec 1, 2023rescheduled from November 14, 2023
Decision dateMar 18, 2024

Cite For

Failure to File Tax Returns as a Disqualifying Condition Under Guideline F
Unresolved Delinquent Debts as a Basis for Security Clearance Denial
Lack of Financial Responsibility Impacting Reliability and Judgment

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 significant financial concerns under Guideline F, including failure to file tax returns and multiple delinquent debts totaling approximately $61,000. While some debts were resolved, the overall financial situation was deemed inconsistent with the national interest, leading to a denial of the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Failed to file his 2020 and 2021 federal and state income tax returns, as required.	Against Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Failed to file his 2020 and 2021 federal and state income tax returns, as required.	Against Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Had eight delinquent debts, either charged off or in collection status, totaling approximately $61,000. $61,000	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—
1.h	This is a delinquent credit card that Applicant admitted. His most recent credit report in the record shows that this debt was charged off. It also reflects that he settled the debt for less than the full amount in February 2023. $2,256	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.i	This is a delinquent credit card that Applicant admitted. His most recent credit report in the record shows that this debt was charged off. It also reflects that he settled the debt for less than the full amount in September 2022. $453	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—

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.