WPC  3eSf{y$+etXmWLw PpT}v4w_ Zrϧ{K]cIwf37IL"rK󁺟s#~FZ#& Y00mtVgn߃T]\.JcG"f[Vbu)=,H[om-εA%HYTؑZQa6s<a}TzYWhXrhɓLO=Iw-B g}L[4EAc@>uMT cLC-Y'{$s/ƴTTo8 ¥4춀K0&ewC祬Oxc:=,̣pG)ilAw:Ux`9Ι+ 9S`i5pQAGHN|[†2GTSPkGMSWq>_vM7ڌ&- X|Wl"ŃWZ#UN % 0: ^ C wO 4S g v mx Z Z NC C 0E E 0D \4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 B Hewlett-Packard HP LaserJet P3010 Series0(9 Z6Times New Roman RegularX($USUS.,ԲJ;EJ3|xU8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUE8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUE(Y(2tn$ !USUS.,    XX    0  (#$  0   R tn$USUS.,  XX    1    _See_ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1400151at3,n.1(App.Bd.Sept.12,2014)fortheextenttowhichaJudgecanconsider  nonallegedconduct. d !USUS.,  _KEYWORD:GuidelineF  DIGEST:TheJudgesmaterialfindingsaresustainable.Applicanthascitedtonoharmfulerror  inthefindings.Adversedecisionaffirmed. t _CASENO_:1501544.a1 L  DATE:06/20/2017 $ t    `     h      p DATE:June20,2017  L  .؉7r(#(#.AY) xdEgA   InRe:       ApplicantforSecurityClearance C AY) xdEgA k )   )   )   ) p ) \ ) H ) 4 )  p   \ pX p _ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1501544 p!  \" .؉7r. \XXp 4"    APPEALBOARDDECISION  # APPEARANCES &  &%XX FORGOVERNMENT  l( JamesB.Norman,Esq.,ChiefDepartmentCounsel D )  FORAPPLICANT  !D+  Prose #XX%&# ",     TheDepartmentofDefense(DoD)declinedtograntApplicantasecurityclearance.On z% / October27,2015,DoDissuedastatementofreasons(_SOR_)advisingApplicantofthebasisforthat f&!0 decision!securityconcernsraisedunderGuidelineF(FinancialConsiderations)ofDepartmentof R'"1 DefenseDirective5220.6(Jan.2,1992,asamended)(Directive).Applicantrequestedahearing. >(#2 OnApril4,2017,afterthehearing,DefenseOfficeofHearingsandAppeals(DOHA) *)z$3 AdministrativeJudgeFranciscoMendezdeniedApplicantsrequestforasecurityclearance. *f%4 ApplicantappealedpursuanttoDirectiveE3.1.28andE3.1.30. +R&5   Applicantraisedthefollowingissueonappeal:whethertheJudgesadversedecisionwas ,*(7 arbitrary,capricious,orcontrarytolaw.Consistentwiththefollowing,weaffirm. -)8 Ї  TheJudgesFindingsofFact     Applicantservedinthemilitaryfrom1977to1981.Hehasworkedasacontractorandhas t heldaclearanceforover30years.His_SOR_Ԁlistsfivedelinquentdebts,andhehasresolvedtwoof ` them.Theremainingthreeareforcreditcards.Hefellbehindinhispaymentsinabout2005,which L  resultedinincreasedinterestratesonhisaccounts.Afterreceivingthe_SOR_,Applicantconsulted 8  afinancialcounselor,whoadvisedhimnottocontactthecreditorsbecausedoingsocouldrevive $ t debtsthatwerepastthestatuteoflimitations.Applicantattributedhisfinancialproblemstoa  ` maritalseparationin2000.ThesubsequentdivorcewasexpensivetoApplicant,andhestarted  L  relyingoncreditcards.  8    AcreditorofferedApplicantasettlement,whichhecouldhavepaidbymeansofaloanfrom   his401(k)account.Heelectednottodoso,however,eventhoughhehadpreviouslytakenoutloans   inordertopaydebtsormakehomerepairs.Applicantandhiswifehavecombinedearningsofabout   $90,000ayear.Applicantownsahomeandhasmadeadditionalpaymentsonhismortgageloan.   Hehasafavorablecreditscore. p   TheJudgesAnalysis  H   TheJudgecitedtomattersthatwereoutsideApplicantscontrol,suchashisdivorce,that  p affectedhisfinancialsituation.HeconcludedthatApplicantdidnotshowresponsibleactionin  \ regardtohiscreditcarddebt,insofarashedecidedtowalkawayfromitratherthanresolveit.He H concludedthatApplicantusedthe windfallresultingfromthisdecisionforsuchthingsas 4 improvinghisretirementsavingsandpayingdownhismortgage.TheJudgealsostatedthat   Applicantscaseformitigationwasimpairedbyhisfailuretodisclosethecreditcarddebtsonhis   securityclearanceapplication,althoughhedidlisttwodebtsthathehadpaid.Thisomissionwas  notallegedinthe_SOR_,buttheJudgestatedthathewasconsideringitontheissuesonmitigation,  credibility,andthewholepersonfactors._ #  1      _ԀHestatedthatrelianceuponthestatuteoflimitationsis  notsufficienttomitigateconcernsarisingfromthecreditcarddebts,givenalackofsignificant l evidenceoffinancialreform. X    Discussion  0"    Applicantsbriefincludesmattersfromoutsidetherecord,whichwecannotconsider. $X" DirectiveE3.1.129.HechallengestheJudgesstatementthathehadreceivedawindfallfromhis $D # decisionnottopayhiscreditcarddebt.WereadtheJudgescommenttomeanthatApplicants %0!$ havingpaiddownhismortgagewithfundsthatmighthavegonetodebtresolutiondetractedfrom &"% hiscaseformitigation.Wecannotsaythatthisiserror.TheJudgesmaterialfindingsare '#& sustainable.Applicanthascitedtonoharmfulerrorinthefindings.See,e.g.,ISCRCaseNo.15 (#' 01285at3(App.Bd.Dec.22,2016). )$(  |*%)   Applicantcitestofavorableevidence,suchashishavingresolvedsomeofhisdebts.He  arguesthathisconductshowsfinancialresponsibility.Applicanthasnotrebuttedthepresumption  thattheJudgeconsideredalloftheevidence,norhasheshownthattheJudgeweighedtheevidence  inamannerthatwasarbitrary,capricious,orcontrarytolaw.See,e.g.,_ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1300502 t at3(App.Bd.Mar.7,2017). `   TheJudgeexaminedtherelevantevidenceandarticulatedasatisfactoryexplanationforthe 8  decision.Thedecisionissustainableonthisrecord. Thegeneralstandardisthataclearancemay $ t begrantedonlywhenclearlyconsistentwiththeinterestsofthenationalsecurity.Department  ` oftheNavyv.Egan,484U.S.518,528(1988).SeealsoDirective,Enclosure22(b): Anydoubt  L  concerningpersonnelbeingconsideredforaccesstoclassifiedinformationwillberesolvedinfavor  8  ofthenationalsecurity. $  @( Order      TheDecisionis AFFIRMED .      `     h   Signed:Michael_Raanan_Ԁ 8    `     h   Michael_Raanan_ $t    `     h   AdministrativeJudge `    `     h   Chairperson,AppealBoard L    `     h   Signed:JamesE.Moody     `     h   JamesE.Moody     `     h   AdministrativeJudge     `     h   Member,AppealBoard p    `     h   Signed:WilliamS.Fields__  #p!    `     h   WilliamS.Fields  $\"    `     h   AdministrativeJudge $H #    `     h   Member,Appeal_Board___