Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking tax information about former President Donald Trump and wealthy individuals to The New York Times and ProPublica. The judge imposed the maximum sentence, emphasizing the severity of targeting the nation's system of government and democracy. Littlejohn apologized, stating he acted out of a misguided belief in serving the public interest. The leaked information led to reports about Trump's tax returns and wealthy Americans' taxes, sparking calls for reform and investigations into the leaks.
Charles Littlejohn, who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump's tax records and those of thousands of others, has been sentenced to five years in prison. The judge emphasized the severity of the crime, likening it to an attack on the US and its legal foundation, and criticized the Justice Department's decision to bring only one count against Littlejohn. Prosecutors argued that stealing and leaking private tax information undermines individuals' legal protection and recommended the maximum sentence. Littlejohn expressed a misguided belief in serving the country and the public's right to tax information but acknowledged undermining faith in US government institutions.
Charles Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor, has been sentenced to five years in prison for leaking tax records of former President Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk to news organizations. The judge described his actions as an attack on constitutional democracy and compared them to recent threats against elected officials. Littlejohn's attorney argued that he acted out of a moral belief that the public had a right to know the information, but the judge emphasized that he had breached the trust placed in him by the government and violated the privacy of thousands of taxpayers.
A New York judge has ordered Donald Trump to pay The New York Times $392,638 in legal fees after his failed lawsuit against the newspaper regarding his tax records. Trump alleged a breach of confidentiality agreement and personal vendetta, but the case was dismissed last year. The judge ruled in favor of The New York Times, stating that reporters are entitled to engage in legal and news-gathering activities without fear of tort liability. Trump opposed the amount but the judge found it reasonable considering the complexity of the issues and the attorneys' success in dismissing the complaint.
An IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, has pleaded guilty to illegally disclosing the tax returns of former President Donald Trump and thousands of other prominent individuals. Littlejohn, who stole tax information from a "high-ranking public official" (identified as Trump) and leaked it to news organizations, also separately stole tax return information for thousands of wealthy individuals and disclosed it to ProPublica. The maximum penalty for Littlejohn's crimes is five years in prison, and he will be sentenced in January 2024. The case comes after whistleblowers accused the Justice Department of hindering investigations into President Joe Biden's family finances.
Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty to stealing tax records belonging to Donald Trump and other wealthy individuals before leaking them to the media. Littlejohn admitted to leaking Trump's records to The New York Times and providing ProPublica with information on thousands of wealthy people's tax returns. The Times published exclusive reporting on Trump's tax returns in 2020, revealing he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. Littlejohn is expected to face a prison sentence of eight to 14 months. The sentencing is scheduled for January 29, 2023.
The IRS has lost track of millions of sensitive individual and business tax records, according to a watchdog report. The report highlights significant deficiencies in safeguarding and accounting for these records, which contain sensitive taxpayer information. The IRS is unable to locate thousands of records stored in Utah and failed to transfer tax records from a closed facility in California. The report warns that the lost records could be used for tax refund fraud and identity theft. The IRS has been criticized in the past for mishandling taxpayer information, and the watchdog urges the agency to better restrict access to tax records and conduct required annual inventories of microfilm cartridges.
