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ISCR Case 24-01639 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01639

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/21/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Mark W. Harvey
Government Counsel: Daniel P. O'Reilley
Applicant's Counsel: Grant Couch
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 53-year-old senior system administrator who applied for a security clearance. The adjudicative guideline at issue was Guideline F, concerning financial considerations. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) alleged that the applicant had significant delinquent debts, including approximately $52,000 in federal income taxes for tax years 2014 through 2017 and about $23,000 in non-tax-related debts. The SOR indicated that these financial issues raised concerns about the applicant's reliability and trustworthiness.
During the proceedings, the applicant denied the allegations in the SOR but admitted to having financial difficulties, attributing some of his issues to procrastination and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He provided evidence of ongoing efforts to resolve his debts, including hiring a tax negotiation entity to address his tax delinquencies. However, he acknowledged that he had not maintained a consistent payment plan with the IRS and had significant outstanding tax liabilities. The applicant also faced scrutiny for inconsistencies in his security clearance applications regarding his financial history.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that the financial concerns were not mitigated. The judge noted that while the applicant had made some efforts to address his debts, the overall financial situation remained unresolved, and the applicant's admissions regarding his past failures to disclose accurate information on his security clearance applications raised further doubts about his reliability. Consequently, the judge denied the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01639

deniedNov 21, 2025· Hon. Mark W. Harvey· hearing

Summary

A 53-year-old senior system administrator was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to significant and ongoing financial issues. The primary concerns included approximately $130,000 in delinquent federal income taxes and a consistent history of failing to meet financial obligations. These issues raised questions about the applicant's reliability and trustworthiness.

The administrative judge identified several disqualifying conditions, specifically AG ¶ 19(a), AG ¶ 19(b), AG ¶ 19(c), and AG ¶ 19(f). While the applicant claimed efforts to resolve these debts, the judge determined that these actions were insufficient to mitigate the concerns.

Ultimately, the applicant's financial problems were deemed ongoing and not adequately addressed. Despite the application of mitigating conditions AG ¶ 20(b) and AG ¶ 20(g), the clearance was DENIED.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had approximately $130,000 in delinquent federal income taxes and a history of failing to meet financial obligations.
The applicant's financial issues were ongoing and not sufficiently addressed despite his claims of efforts to resolve them.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(b)appliedUnwillingness to Satisfy Debts Regardless of the Ability to Do So
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person’s ControlWhile some circumstances were beyond the applicant's control, he did not act responsibly in addressing his financial difficulties.
AG ¶ 20(g)appliedThe Individual Has Made Arrangements with the Appropriate Tax Authority to File or Pay the Amount Owed and Is in Compliance with Those Arrangements

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for a security clearance is predicated upon the applicant meeting the criteria contained in the adjudicative guidelines.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedNov 5, 2024
Answer filedApr 23, 2025
Hearing heldSep 4, 2025via Microsoft Teams
Decision dateNov 21, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Impact of Ongoing Financial Obligations on Security Clearance Eligibility
Insufficient Mitigation of Financial Concerns Despite Efforts to Resolve Debts

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.