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ISCR Case 25-00252 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 25-00252

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

Case Profile
Decision Date9/18/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: John Bayard Glendon
Government Counsel: Andrew H. Henderson
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 59-year-old individual who had been employed as a supervisor by a Department of Defense contractor since 2023. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations), specifically alleging three unpaid debts totaling approximately $34,000 that were in collection. The applicant admitted to the debts but explained that they arose from financial difficulties following his divorce in 2014 and a subsequent decision to work for himself, which negatively impacted his income.
During the hearing, the applicant testified about his financial situation, acknowledging that he had not made payments on the debts since 2019 and had no intention of doing so, based on advice from a bankruptcy attorney. He presented character reference letters praising his integrity and commitment to his family, but the administrative judge found that the applicant had not taken responsible steps to address his financial obligations. The judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he failed to mitigate the financial considerations security concerns, as his behavior indicated a lack of reliability and good judgment necessary for access to classified information. Consequently, the applicant's eligibility for a security clearance was denied.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00252

deniedSep 18, 2025· Hon. John Bayard Glendon· hearing

Summary

A 59-year-old male applicant was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to three outstanding credit card debts totaling approximately $34,000. The Statement of Reasons detailed these debts, including a joint account with a former wife for $27,752, another account with a last payment in October 2019 for $3,915, and a third account with a last payment in November 2019 for $2,464. These issues raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines paragraphs 19(a) and 19(c).

The administrative judge determined that the applicant's financial difficulties stemmed from a voluntary job change that resulted in insufficient income. Despite the applicant's explanations and character references, he admitted to the allegations of unpaid debt.

Ultimately, the applicant failed to demonstrate a good-faith effort to repay his debts or resolve his financial issues, leading to the denial of his eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to three allegations of unpaid credit card debts totaling approximately $34,000.
The applicant's financial problems were a result of his voluntary decision to change jobs, which led to insufficient income to meet his obligations.
The applicant did not demonstrate a good-faith effort to repay his debts or resolve his financial issues.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

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 issuedMar 5, 2025
Answer filedApr 10, 2025
Hearing heldJul 10, 2025via video teleconference
Decision dateSep 18, 2025

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Impact of Voluntary Financial Decisions on Security Clearance Eligibility
Importance of Demonstrating Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts in Security Clearance 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 against the applicant on all financial allegations under Guideline F, citing three significant credit card debts that remain unpaid and unresolved. The applicant's failure to make payments and his expressed intention not to address these debts raised concerns about his reliability and judgment.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Credit-Card Debt of $27,752. This credit-card account was a joint account that Applicant opened and maintained with his former wife. $27,752	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Credit-Card Debt of $3,915. Applicant made his last payments on this credit card in October 2019. $3,915	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Credit-Card Debt of $2,464. Applicant made his last payment on this credit card in November 2019. $2,464	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—

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.