By Brett Rowland (The Heart Sq.)
A former IRS contractor accused of leaking former President Donald Trump’s tax returns and disclosing tax return info for a number of the nation’s wealthiest individuals pleaded responsible Thursday.
Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded responsible Thursday to disclosing tax return info with out authorization. He faces as much as 5 years in jail at a sentencing listening to set for Jan. 29, 2024
Littlejohn, whereas working on the IRS as a contractor, stole tax return info related to Trump and others. Littlejohn accessed tax returns related to Trump on an IRS database “after utilizing broad search parameters designed to hide the true objective of his queries,” in keeping with the U.S. Division of Justice. He then evaded IRS protocols to detect and stop massive downloads or uploads from its programs.
Prosecutors stated Littlejohn then saved the tax returns to a number of private storage gadgets, together with an iPod, earlier than contacting a information outlet. Between round August 2019 and October 2019, Littlejohn offered the information outlet with the tax return info related to Trump. Littlejohn then stole further tax return info associated to Trump and offered it to the identical information group, which isn’t named within the indictment.
Associated: Democrats Went Too Far Publicizing Trump’s Tax Returns
In September 2020, The New York Occasions published a collection of articles about Trump’s returns.
A spokesperson for The New York Occasions stated: “We stay involved when whistleblowers who present info within the public curiosity are prosecuted.”
“The Occasions’s reporting on this matter performed an essential position in serving to the general public perceive the monetary ties and tax methods of a sitting president – info that has lengthy been seen as central to the information that voters ought to have in regards to the chief of our authorities and the candidates for that prime workplace.”
The Justice Division stated it was a “critical breach of the general public’s belief.”
“The unauthorized theft and disclosure of tax return info by authorities staff or contractors is a critical breach of the general public’s belief,” Performing Assistant Lawyer Common Nicole Argentieri of the Justice Division’s Legal Division stated in a press release. “The Division will maintain accountable those that illegally exploit their entry to delicate private info.”
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In July and August 2020, prosecutors stated Littlejohn individually stole tax return info for 1000’s of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, once more evading IRS detection. In November 2020, Littlejohn disclosed this tax return info to a different unnamed information group, which revealed greater than 50 articles utilizing the stolen knowledge. Littlejohn then obstructed the forthcoming investigation into his conduct by deleting and destroying proof of his disclosures, in keeping with prosecutors.
ProPublica published a collection of articles on rich taxpayers throughout the identical time-frame.
“By utilizing his position as a authorities contractor to achieve entry to personal tax info, steal that info, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal legislation and betrayed the general public’s belief,” Lawyer Common Merrick Garland stated in a press release.
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
