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ISCR Case 23-02446 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-02446

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

Case Profile
Decision Date7/16/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Darlene Lokey Anderson
Government Counsel: Andrew H. Henderson
Case Summary
Applicant Darlene Anderson, a 48-year-old Control Center Operator for a defense contractor, sought a security clearance after submitting her application on December 3, 2022. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on December 19, 2023, citing concerns under Guideline F, Financial Considerations. The SOR detailed ten delinquent debts totaling over $61,000, indicating poor financial management and raising questions about her reliability and trustworthiness.
During the hearing, Anderson admitted to all allegations in the SOR, explaining that her financial difficulties stemmed from periods of unemployment and limited financial knowledge. She described her efforts to manage her debts, including hiring a financial counselor for a brief period, but acknowledged that she had not resolved her outstanding obligations. Anderson's wages were being garnished to satisfy a judgment from 2010, and she reported living paycheck to paycheck without savings.
The administrative judge ruled against Anderson, concluding that the evidence presented demonstrated a history of financial irresponsibility and an inability to meet her financial obligations. The judge found that the mitigating factors did not sufficiently outweigh the disqualifying conditions, emphasizing the importance of financial stability in maintaining national security and the trust required 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. 23-02446

deniedJul 16, 2024· Hon. Darlene Lokey Anderson· hearing

Summary

A 48-year-old Control Center Operator for a defense contractor was denied a security clearance due to significant financial issues under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant faced allegations of over $61,000 in delinquent debts, including a $28,410 charged-off title loan from 2016 and a judgment entered against her in 2010 for approximately $24,905.16.

Additional debts included several charged-off credit card accounts and accounts placed for collection, ranging from $457 to $3,047. These were used for living expenses, food, household necessities, cable TV services, and to service other credit cards. One debt of $3,047 was disputed by the applicant, who claimed it was discharged by the original creditor and removed from her credit report.

Despite admitting to financial irresponsibility and attributing her situation to limited financial knowledge and past hardships, the judge found insufficient evidence of mitigation. The applicant failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in resolving her debts, leading to the denial of her security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant has a history of financial hardship and delinquent debts totaling over $61,000.
The applicant admitted to financial irresponsibility and failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in resolving her debts.
The judge found that none of the mitigating conditions applied to the applicant's situation.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was Infrequent, or Occurred Under Circumstances Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions Resulting in Financial Problems Were Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedInitiated and Is Adhering to a Good Faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors
AG ¶ 20(e)rejectedHas a Reasonable Basis to Dispute the Legitimacy of the Past-due Debt

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 issuedDec 19, 2023
Answer filedJan 2, 2024
Hearing heldApr 11, 2024
Decision dateJul 16, 2024

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Significant Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Insufficient Evidence of Mitigation in Financial Considerations Cases
Importance of Demonstrating Financial Responsibility for 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 F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns under Guideline F, with the majority of the debts being charged off or in collection. While the applicant admitted to the debts, the judge ruled against her on most allegations, citing poor financial management, but found in her favor regarding a judgment debt.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $28,410 for an account that was charged off. This is a title loan that Applicant obtained in 2016. $28,410	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.b	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $1,067 for an account that was charged off. This is a credit card Applicant used to purchase food when she was laid off from work. $1,067	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.c	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $1,033 for an account that was placed for collection. This is a credit card Applicant used for food and household necessities and to pay other credit cards in order to keep them in rotation for use. $1,033	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.d	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $632 for an account that was placed for collection. This was for cable TV services. $632	Against Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.e	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $554 for an account that was charged off. This is a credit card Applicant used for living expenses and to service other credit cards. $554	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.f	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $457 for an account that was placed for collection. This is a credit card Applicant used for living expenses and to service other credit cards. $457	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.g	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $3,047 for an account that was placed for collection. Applicant stated that she disputed the debt, because it was discharged by the original creditor, and removed from her credit report. $3,047	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.h	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $748 for an account that was charged off. This is a credit card Applicant used for living expenses and to service other credit cards. $748	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.i	Applicant is indebted to a creditor in the amount of $684 for an account that was placed for collection. This is a credit card Applicant used for living expenses and to service other credit cards. $684	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse
1.j	Applicant is indebted to a creditor for a judgment entered against her in 2010 in the approximate amount of $24,905.16. $24,905	For Applicant	Judgment Against Applicant	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Acknowledgment and Remorse

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.