WPC'  5ۈϸ&SDB嫨D0Eh(O"t$ү?A޽֠^S~!d_h9+z?=,$,PJLJDD#r1[=7~ ,g:_Temz ^>b@&zƸ"$V$vT8yH&f-)&DP…8,i ">RTK26"Fm~( eӈJULbtY-lg.lU{OXs^! /zgF}N{h*;R69aCvy3OaW`8HX3* Mr!{ DӀAe/xi3$>'DK Cd2;yMT">$%qj~ŕwJ7G\=4~-_4Hـ%qYZelŶW#UN % 0: Z ^ s w 4   m 0 Zh E 0D N                                                                     B Hewlett-Packard HP LaserJet P3010 Series0(9 Z6Times New Roman RegularX($USUS.,8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUEK;EJntFold3|xU(Y(2$ !USUS.,  <XX      0  8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUE(#$  0   d !USUS.,  _KEYWORD:GuidelineF  DIGEST:ApplicanttestifiedthathiscurrentFederaltaxdebtisabout$98,000.Applicantstax  debtsarerecent,and_have_Ԁbeenunresolvedsinceatleast2008.Adversedecisionaffirmed. t _CASENO_:1508711.a1 L  DATE:08/24/2017 $ t    `     h      p DATE:August24,2017  ` .؉7r(#(#.AV) xdEgA   InRe:       ApplicantforSecurityClearance W AV) xdE.gA / )   )   )   )   ) p ) \ ) H ) 4   p pX p _ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1508711    p! .؉7r. \XXp H!    APPEALBOARDDECISION 4" APPEARANCES %  &%XX FORGOVERNMENT  ' JamesB.Norman,Esq.,ChiefDepartmentCounsel X(  FORAPPLICANT  !X*  Prose #XX%&# !0+     TheDepartmentofDefense(DoD)declinedtograntApplicantasecurityclearance.OnJune $. 9,2016,DoDissuedastatementofreasons(_SOR_)advisingApplicantofthebasisforthat z% / decision!securityconcernsraisedunderGuidelineF(FinancialConsiderations)ofDepartmentof f&!0 DefenseDirective5220.6(Jan.2,1992,asamended)(Directive).Applicantrequestedahearing. R'"1 OnMay31,2017,afterthehearing,DefenseOfficeofHearingsandAppeals(DOHA) >(#2 AdministrativeJudgeRobertE.CoacherdeniedApplicantsrequestforasecurityclearance. *)z$3 ApplicantappealedpursuanttoDirectiveE3.1.28andE3.1.30. *f%4   Applicantraisedthefollowingissueonappeal:whethertheJudgesdecisionwasarbitrary, +>'6 capricious,orcontrarytolaw.Consistentwiththefollowing,weaffirm. ,*(7  -)8 Ї_  TheJudgesFindingsofFact     Applicantisa46yearoldemployeeofadefensecontractor.Hetestifiedthathiscurrent  Federaltaxdebtisabout$98,000.Hisfinancialproblemsaroseduetotwobusinessfailures.The x firstbusinessfailedinapproximately2006.Thesecondbusinessoperatedfromabout2009to2014, d whenhisbusinesspartnerpassedawayandthebusinesslostamajorcontracttoacompetitor.In P  2014,heretainedataxattorneytohandlehistaxissues.Inlate2016,theattorneysubmittedaletter <  statingheisworkingtowardestablishingapaymentplanwiththeIRStoresolvethetaxdebtfor ( x 20082015andthematterwouldberesolvedinJanuary2017.InFebruary2017,theattorney  d providedafollowupletteradvisinganagreementwasreachedforApplicanttopayabout$1,200  P  monthlyfor84months,beginninginMarch2017.Nodocumentationwassubmittedofthe  <  agreementorofanypayments. (      Applicantcurrentlyowesabout$98,000onstudentloansthatheclaimsareinforbearance   andnotdelinquent.Headmittedtheloansweredelinquentfromtimetotimestartingin2006.He   documentedthathestartedtoresolvethestudentloansthrougharepaymentplanandhasmadefour   orfivepaymentsofabout$300. t   ApplicantrefutedanSORallegationthathedidnottimelyfilehis2013Federalincome L taxes.Healsoresolvedsomeoftheallegeddelinquentdebts.Heandhiswifehaveacombined 8 grossincomeofabout$120,000.Heprovidedbudgetsforatwomonthperiodshowinghehadabout $t $100ofdiscretionaryincomeeachmonth.Hehastakenafinancialcourse.Hepresentedcharacter ` statementsthatreflecthehasareputationforbeinghonest,loyal,trustworthy,andhardworking. L     TheJudgesAnalysis  $     Applicantstaxdebtsarerecent,havebeenunresolvedsinceatleast2008,andcastdoubt  onhisreliability,trustworthiness,andgoodjudgment.Whileheprovidedcorrespondencefroman  attorneyconcerningarepaymentplan,hedidnotprovideproofoftheplanorofanypayments.He  onlyrecentlystartedmakingcontinuouspaymentsonhisstudentloans.Itistoosoontoconclude p thathisstudentloansarebeingresolvedorareundercontrol.Hehasnotestablishedameaningful \  trackrecordoffinancialresponsibilityinpayinghisstudentloansorFederaltaxdebt. H!   ThefailureofApplicantsbusinessesandthedeathofhispartnerwereeventsbeyondhis  #p! control.Althoughhistaxproblemsdatebackto2008,hefailedtoobtainprofessionaltaxassistance  $\" until2014andanagreementwiththeIRSwasnotreacheduntilFebruary2017.Thesedelayswere $H # notresponsibleconduct.   %4!$   Discussion  ' #&   ApplicantcontendstheJudgenotedthatheandhiswifehaveacombinedannualincomeof )$( $120,000,buttheJudgedidnotindicatethatwasnottheirincomefortheentireperiodinquestion. *%) WefindnoerrorintheJudgesfindingaboutApplicantsannualincome.Fromourreadingofthe l+&* decision,itwasapparentthe$120,000wasApplicantsrecentincomebecausetheJudgehadalready X,'+ discussedApplicantsbusinessfailuresin2006and2014. D-(, Ї  ApplicantarguestheJudgedidnotconsiderimportantaspectsofthecase.Forexample,he  citestocircumstancesoutsidehiscontrolsuchastheeconomicvolatilityofthepast14yearsandthat  heisapersonofhighmoralcharacter.Hisarguments,however,arenotsufficienttorebutthe  presumptionthattheJudgeconsideredalloftherecordevidence.See,e.g.,ISCRCaseNo.1504856 t at23(App.Bd.Mar.9,2017).Moreover,thepresenceofsomemitigatingevidencedoesnotalone ` compeltheJudgetomakeafavorablesecurityclearancedetermination.Asthetrieroffact,the L  Judgehastoweightheevidenceasawholeanddecidewhetherthefavorableevidenceoutweighs 8  theunfavorableevidence,orviceversa.ApartysdisagreementwiththeJudgesweighingofthe $ t evidence,oranabilitytoargueforadifferentinterpretationoftheevidence,isnotsufficientto  ` demonstratetheJudgeweighedtheevidenceorreachedconclusionsinamannerthatisarbitrary,  L  capricious,orcontrarytolaw.See,e.g.,ISCRCaseNo.1501652at2(App.Bd.Jul.7,2017).  8      TheJudgeexaminedtherelevantdataandarticulatedasatisfactoryexplanationforthe   decision.Thedecisionissustainableonthisrecord. Thegeneralstandardisthataclearancemay   begrantedonlywhenclearlyconsistentwiththeinterestsofthenationalsecurity.Department   ofNavyv.Egan,484U.S.518,528(1988).SeealsoDirective,Encl.2,App.A2(b): Anydoubt   concerningpersonnelbeingconsideredfornationalsecurityeligibilitywillberesolvedinfavorof p thenationalsecurity. \ _@( Order  |*%)   TheDecisionis AFFIRMED . T,'+  D-(, Ї   `     h   Signed:Michael_Raanan_Ԁ     `     h   Michael_Raanan_     `     h   AdministrativeJudge t    `     h   Chairperson,AppealBoard `    `     h   Signed:WilliamS.Fields  `    `     h   WilliamS.Fields  L     `     h   AdministrativeJudge  8     `     h   Member,AppealBoard $     `     h   Signed:JamesF.Duffy__      `     h   JamesF.Duffy p    `     h   AdministrativeJudge \    `     h   Member,Appeal_Board___ H