CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 24-01948 — CASE

DOHA Record Explorer

ISCR Case 24-01948

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

Case Profile
Decision Date10/2/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Mark W. Harvey
Government Counsel: Nicholas T. Temple
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 45-year-old carpenter who had been employed by a government contractor for seven months before being furloughed in February 2025. The Department of Defense's Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations), primarily due to the applicant's significant financial issues, including a bankruptcy in 2014 and 23 delinquent debts totaling approximately $48,631.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to most of the allegations in the SOR, acknowledging some mismanagement and poor decision-making regarding his finances. He attributed his financial difficulties to a combination of factors, including the impact of COVID-19 on his business and clients failing to pay for services rendered. While he provided some evidence of payments made towards certain debts, he did not document payments for many of the delinquent accounts and denied responsibility for two specific debts, claiming they might be the result of identity theft.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that the financial considerations raised significant security concerns that were not sufficiently mitigated. The judge emphasized the importance of financial responsibility in determining an individual's reliability and trustworthiness for access to classified information, ultimately denying the applicant's eligibility for a security clearance.
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.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01948

deniedOct 2, 2025· Hon. Mark W. Harvey· hearing

Summary

A 45-year-old carpenter was denied a security clearance due to unresolved financial issues under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant had a history of 23 delinquent debts totaling $48,631 and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2013, which was discharged in March 2014. Specific allegations included multiple accounts placed for collection, ranging from approximately $860 to $5,679, and one charged-off account.

While the applicant admitted to some debts and made partial payments on others, these actions were deemed insufficient to mitigate the financial concerns. The applicant failed to provide adequate documentation demonstrating a good-faith effort to resolve the majority of the outstanding debts.

Ultimately, the applicant's financial issues raised unmitigated questions regarding his reliability and trustworthiness. Therefore, granting access to classified information was determined to be inconsistent with national security interests, and the security clearance was denied.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant successfully mitigated two debts with established payment plans and made payments towards them.
The applicant disputed two debts, demonstrating a reasonable basis for contesting their legitimacy.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedBehavior Happened Long Ago or InfrequentlyThe applicant's ongoing, unpaid debts demonstrate a continuing course of conduct.
AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's ControlWhile some circumstances were beyond the applicant's control, he did not act responsibly in addressing his debts.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant failed to provide documentation of a meaningful financial track record.
AG ¶ 20(e)appliedReasonable Basis to Dispute Legitimacy of DebtsThe applicant successfully disputed two debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“"Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for access to classified information will be resolved in favor of the national security."”
— Directive, Enclosure 2 ¶ 2(b).

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedOct 8, 2024
Answer filedJan 9, 2025
Hearing heldJul 25, 2025via Microsoft Teams
Decision dateOct 2, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Importance of Documented Evidence in Mitigating Financial Concerns
Disputing Debts as a Mitigating Factor in Financial Considerations 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 F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns under Guideline F, including a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and numerous delinquent debts totaling over $48,000. The judge ruled against the applicant on most allegations, citing insufficient mitigation of the financial issues.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in November 2013. This bankruptcy was discharged in March 2014.	For Applicant	Bankruptcy Filing	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Account placed for collection for about $5,679. $5,679	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	Account placed for collection for about $4,620. $4,620	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	Account placed for collection for about $3,944. $3,944	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.o	Account placed for collection for about $1,380. $1,380	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.q	Charged-off account for about $860. $860	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.w	Account placed for collection for about $1,380. $1,380	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	(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.