CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 23-01222 — CASE

DOHA Record Explorer

ISCR Case 23-01222

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/19/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Braden M. Murphy
Government Counsel: Alison P. O'Connell
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 58-year-old individual with a background in the U.S. Army, where he served for approximately 24 years, including as a commissioned officer. He applied for a security clearance, which was initially granted in January 2022. However, the Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations) and Guideline E (personal conduct). The core allegations included approximately $44,691 in delinquent debts to private creditors and omissions regarding these debts on his security clearance applications.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the debts outlined in the SOR and acknowledged his responsibility for them, attributing his financial difficulties to personal circumstances, including a divorce and automobile repossessions. He expressed a plan to address his debts and provided evidence of ongoing payments towards some obligations, including a past-due federal income tax debt. However, he did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial security concerns, and his explanations regarding the omissions on his security clearance applications were deemed insufficient to alleviate the personal conduct concerns.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that while the personal conduct concerns were not established, the financial security concerns remained unresolved. The judge emphasized the applicant's failure to adequately address his delinquent debts and the lack of a clear plan for resolution, ultimately denying his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · 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.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-01222

deniedNov 19, 2024· Hon. Braden M. Murphy· hearing

Summary

A 58-year-old applicant with 24 years of Army service was denied a security clearance due to unresolved financial issues, primarily under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant had approximately $44,691 in delinquent debts to private creditors, including a past-due rent account, an automobile financing account, a jet ski account, and a credit card account, all of which had been charged off.

Additionally, the applicant did not disclose these delinquent debts on his 2022 Security Clearance Application (SCA) and failed to provide complete financial information. While the applicant mitigated concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) by demonstrating no intent to deceive regarding his financial disclosures, the judge emphasized the necessity of a documented track record of good-faith efforts to resolve debts.

The denial was based on the applicant's failure to provide sufficient evidence to mitigate financial security concerns. His financial issues began around 2019 or 2020, and he had not demonstrated a documented track record of good-faith efforts to resolve these debts.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate financial security concerns arising from delinquent debts totaling approximately $44,691.
The applicant's financial issues began around 2019 or 2020, and he has not demonstrated a documented track record of good-faith efforts to resolve these debts.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant has taken little to no action to address his past-due debts.
AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's ControlWhile the applicant cited his wife's financial mismanagement, he accepted responsibility for the debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“The clearly consistent standard indicates that security determinations should err, if they must, on the side of denials.”
— Department of the Navy v. Egan, 484 U.S. 518, 531 (1988)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 2, 2023
Answer filedAug 22, 2023
Hearing heldJul 2, 2024via video teleconference
Decision dateNov 19, 2024

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Mitigation of Personal Conduct Concerns Under Guideline E
Importance of Documented Efforts to Resolve Financial Debts in Security Clearance Cases

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 E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found that the personal conduct security concerns under Guideline E were not established. However, the applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial security concerns arising from his delinquent debts. The allegations regarding the applicant's failure to disclose delinquent debts and provide complete financial information were ruled in favor of the applicant.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant did not disclose delinquent debts on his 2022 SCA.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseNOT DELIBERATE	Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
2.b	Applicant failed to provide complete financial information on his SCA.	For Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseNOT DELIBERATE	Financial	Admitted	—	—	—

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

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on all financial allegations under Guideline F, citing unresolved delinquent debts totaling approximately $44,691. Despite the applicant's acknowledgment of the debts and plans to address them, the judge concluded that the applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial security concerns.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has delinquent debts totaling about $44,691 to private creditors. $44,691	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Applicant has a past-due rent account charged off by an apartment complex. $7,994	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	Applicant has an automobile financing account charged off. $7,301	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	Applicant has a jet ski account charged off by Credit Union 1. $7,255	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	Applicant has a credit card account charged off by Credit Union 1. $3,910	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	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.