CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 23-02487 — CASE

DOHA Record Explorer

ISCR Case 23-02487

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

Case Profile
Decision Date7/25/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the appeal decision (Case ISCR Case No. 23-02487) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Carol G. Ricciardello
Government Counsel: Jeff A. Nagel
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 48-year-old individual employed by a federal contractor since 2017, with prior military service. 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 numerous delinquent debts and failure to disclose these debts on his security clearance application.
The applicant admitted to some debts but denied others, claiming he was unaware of several accounts due to his wife managing the finances. He attributed his financial difficulties to past unemployment and increased medical expenses. Despite acknowledging some debts during interviews, he did not provide evidence of payment arrangements or efforts to resolve the debts. His financial statement indicated expenditures on non-essential items, and he failed to respond to the Government's file of relevant material.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not mitigate the security concerns related to financial considerations. The judge found that the applicant's numerous unresolved debts raised questions about his reliability and judgment, which are critical for safeguarding classified information. The decision emphasized the importance of financial responsibility in maintaining national security eligibility.
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. 23-02487

deniedJul 25, 2024· Hon. Carol G. Ricciardello· hearing

Summary

A 48-year-old federal contractor with a bachelor's degree was denied a security clearance, primarily due to unresolved financial issues under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). While the applicant successfully refuted allegations under Guideline E (Personal Conduct), the decision focused on numerous delinquent debts that raised concerns about reliability and trustworthiness.

The Statement of Reasons detailed several specific accounts, with the applicant acknowledging some, such as an old account possibly used for a son's medical bills, a credit card for fuel and food, cable services, and a cell phone carrier change. However, the applicant stated he was unaware of other delinquent accounts and did not recall several others.

Ultimately, the denial stemmed from the applicant's failure to mitigate the financial concerns. The applicant admitted to the delinquent debts but did not provide evidence of payments or arrangements to resolve them, nor did he demonstrate responsible actions regarding his financial situation. This led to the application of Disqualifying Conditions AG ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c).

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant failed to mitigate financial concerns under Guideline F due to numerous unresolved delinquent debts.
The applicant did not provide evidence of payments or arrangements to resolve the debts, nor did he demonstrate responsible actions regarding his financial situation.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedDec 1, 2023
Answer filed—Applicant elected to have the case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateJul 25, 2024

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Successful Refutation of Allegations Under Guideline E
Importance of Demonstrating Responsible Financial Behavior 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 E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant's claim of being unaware of delinquent accounts was credible, leading to a favorable ruling on the personal conduct allegation. The applicant's overall financial conduct, however, was not sufficiently mitigated, resulting in a denial of the case.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant told the government investigator that he was unaware that he had accounts that were delinquent.	For Applicant	Lack of Candor in InterviewNOT DELIBERATE	Financial	Denied	—	—	—

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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns under Guideline F, ruling against the applicant on all allegations. The applicant admitted to some debts but failed to provide sufficient evidence of efforts to resolve them, leading to a denial of his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has numerous delinquent debts that he has not paid or resolved. $16,101	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant acknowledged the account and said it was an old account possibly used to pay his son’s medical bills. $9,060	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant did not recognize the account. $7,174	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant said that the account was a credit card he used to purchase fuel and food. $5,089	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant did not recall this account. $3,052	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.f	Applicant acknowledged this account was for cable services. $177	Against Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Denied	—	—	—
1.g	Applicant did not recall the account. $5,033	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.h	Applicant acknowledged this account was for changing cell phone carriers. $1,378	Against Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Denied	—	—	—

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.