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ISCR Case 24-00971 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00971

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/14/2026
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Darlene Lokey Anderson
Government Counsel: Cynthia Ruckno
Case Summary
The applicant, a 67-year-old Associate Engineer, sought a security clearance after submitting a security clearance application on November 18, 2022. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on August 1, 2024, citing security concerns under Guideline F, Financial Considerations. The SOR alleged that the applicant failed to file Federal income tax returns for the years 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022, indicating poor self-control and lack of judgment.
During the hearing, the applicant admitted to the allegations and explained that his financial difficulties stemmed from unstable employment over a decade, which hindered his ability to file tax returns. He provided details about his job instability, including relocations and challenges in securing consistent work. The applicant also noted that he had since obtained stable employment in July 2021 and hired a tax professional to address his tax filings. By the time of the hearing, he had filed all delinquent returns and was current with his tax obligations.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the mitigating factors outweighed the disqualifying conditions. The judge noted the applicant's stable employment, proactive steps taken to resolve his tax issues, and positive testimonials from colleagues and supervisors regarding his work performance and character. The judge emphasized that the applicant's current financial stability and responsible actions demonstrated his reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately supporting his eligibility for a security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00971

grantedJan 14, 2026· Hon. Darlene Lokey Anderson· hearing

Summary

This case concerns a 67-year-old Associate Engineer whose security clearance eligibility was reviewed under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to a history of unfiled federal income tax returns. The Statement of Reasons specifically alleged that the applicant failed to file returns for tax years 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022, raising Disqualifying Condition AG ¶ 19(f).

However, the administrative judge applied several mitigating conditions, including AG ¶ 20(a), AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(d), and AG ¶ 20(f). The applicant demonstrated significant efforts to resolve these issues. After securing stable employment, he filed all delinquent tax returns, thereby demonstrating responsible behavior and compliance with his tax obligations.

Further supporting his case, supervisors and colleagues provided positive testimonials attesting to his reliability and trustworthiness. Based on these mitigating factors and the applicant's corrective actions, the administrative judge GRANTED his eligibility for a security clearance.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant gained stable employment and filed all delinquent tax returns.
He demonstrated responsible behavior and compliance with tax obligations.
Positive testimonials from supervisors and colleagues supported his reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(f)raisedFailure to File or Fraudulently Filing Annual Federal, State, or Local Income Tax Returns

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was Infrequent, or Occurred Under Circumstances Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person’s Control
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedIndividual Initiated and Is Adhering to a Good Faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors or Resolve Debts
AG ¶ 20(f)appliedIndividual Has Made Arrangements with the Appropriate Tax Authority to File or Pay the Amount Owed

Key Rule Quoted

“The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 1, 2024
Answer filedAug 18, 2025
Hearing heldDec 2, 2025
Decision dateJan 14, 2026

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Importance of Stable Employment in Resolving Tax Issues
Weight of Character References in Security Clearance Decisions

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant failed to file Federal income tax returns for several years but established sufficient mitigation regarding the financial concerns. The applicant's current compliance with tax filings and stable employment contributed to the decision to grant the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant failed to file Federal income tax returns for tax years 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.	For Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	—	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur (b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Claimed Financial Counseling Claimed Debt Paid in Full

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.