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ISCR Case 24-00330 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00330

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/8/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionsSee the appeal decision (Case 24-00330) →See the hearing decision (Case 24-00330) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Roger C. Wesley
Government Counsel: Erin P. Thompson
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 27-year-old employee of a defense contractor seeking a security clearance. The adjudicative guideline at issue was financial considerations, specifically concerning the applicant's failure to file federal and state income tax returns for the years 2012 through 2020. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined that these tax filing lapses raised concerns about the applicant's reliability and judgment.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to the allegations, explaining that he had experienced job loss and believed he did not owe taxes for the years in question. He claimed to have filed his tax returns but did not provide documentation to support this assertion. The applicant also mentioned that he was owed a tax refund, which he was ineligible to receive due to time restrictions. However, he did not present evidence of any steps taken to resolve his tax issues.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not mitigate the financial concerns raised. The judge noted that the applicant's multiple tax-filing failures indicated poor judgment and reliability, which are critical factors for someone seeking access to classified information. The absence of documented evidence showing that the applicant had resolved his tax issues further supported the decision to deny eligibility for a security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00330

deniedJan 8, 2025· Hon. Roger C. Wesley· hearing

Summary

A 27-year-old defense contractor employee was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to unresolved tax filing issues. The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant failed to file federal and state income tax returns for tax years 2012 through 2020, and that these lapses remained outstanding.

The applicant admitted to the allegations but claimed to have subsequently filed the returns. However, he provided no documentation to substantiate these claims. The judge found that the applicant's failure to file tax returns for an eight-year period, coupled with the lack of evidence to resolve the issue, raised significant concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness.

Specifically, the denial cited Disqualifying Condition Paragraph 19(f), which addresses a history of not meeting financial obligations. The applicant's inability to provide documentation to support his claims of filing the returns was a key factor in the decision. Ultimately, the applicant was denied eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant failed to file federal and state income tax returns for tax years 2012 through 2020.
The applicant provided no documentation to support his claims of having filed the returns.
The applicant's financial issues raised significant concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

DC ¶ 19(f)appliedFailure to File or Fraudulently Filing Annual Federal, State, or Local Income Tax Returns or Failure to Pay Annual Federal, State, or Local Income Tax as Required

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for access to classified information may only be granted 'upon a finding that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to do so.'”
— Exec. Or. 10865, Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry § 2 (Feb. 20, 1960)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 23, 2024
Answer filedJun 10, 2024Requested resolution on the written record without a hearing.
Hearing held—
Decision dateJan 8, 2025

Cite For

Failure to File Tax Returns as a Disqualifying Condition Under Guideline F
Lack of Documentation to Support Claims of Financial Responsibility
The Importance of Financial Stability 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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant failed to file his federal and state income tax returns for the years 2012 through 2020, and these tax filing lapses remain unresolved. As a result, the judge ruled against the applicant on the financial considerations under Guideline F, concluding that the security concerns were not mitigated.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant allegedly failed to file his federal and state income tax returns as required for tax years 2012 through 2020.	Against Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Other
1.b	Applicant’s tax filing lapses have not been resolved and remain outstanding.	Against Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	—	—	Claimed Other

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.