A former IRS contractor who leaked former President Donald Trump’s tax returns along with tax information for some of the nation’s wealthiest people was sentenced Monday to five years in prison.
Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in October to disclosing tax return information without authorization.
Littlejohn, while working at the IRS as a contractor, stole tax return information associated with Trump and others. Littlejohn accessed tax returns associated with Trump on an IRS database “after using broad search parameters designed to conceal the true purpose of his queries,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He then evaded IRS protocols to detect and prevent large downloads or uploads from its systems.
“Charles Littlejohn abused his position as a consultant at the Internal Revenue Service by disclosing thousands of Americans’ federal tax returns and other private financial information to news organizations. He violated his responsibility to safeguard the sensitive information that was entrusted to his care, and now he is a convicted felon,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that those who violate laws intended to protect sensitive tax information will face significant punishment.”
Prosecutors said Littlejohn then saved the tax returns to multiple personal storage devices, including an iPod, before contacting a news outlet. Between around August 2019 and October 2019, Littlejohn provided the news outlet with the tax return information associated with Trump. Littlejohn then stole additional tax return information related to Trump and provided it to the same news organization, which is not named in the indictment.
In September 2020, The New York Times published a series of articles about Trump’s returns.
The Times has previously said Littlejohn was a whistleblower.
A spokesperson for The New York Times said: “We remain concerned when whistleblowers who provide information in the public interest are prosecuted.”
“The Times’s reporting on this topic played an important role in helping the public understand the financial ties and tax strategies of a sitting president – information that has long been seen as central to the knowledge that voters should have about the leader of our government and the candidates for that high office.”
In July and August 2020, prosecutors said Littlejohn separately stole tax return information for thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, again evading IRS detection. In November 2020, Littlejohn disclosed this tax return information to another unnamed news organization, which published more than 50 articles using the stolen data. Littlejohn then obstructed the forthcoming investigation into his conduct by deleting and destroying evidence of his disclosures, according to prosecutors.
ProPublica published a series of articles on wealthy taxpayers during the same time frame.
“This sentence should serve as a warning to anyone who is considering emulating Mr. Littlejohn’s actions,” said Acting Inspector General Heather Hill of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. “TIGTA relentlessly investigates individuals who illicitly access and disclose taxpayer information, regardless of their personal motivation. TIGTA appreciates the commitment of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in ensuring those who abuse their positions of public trust are held accountable for their actions.”
