Charles Littlejohn was sentenced to 5 years in jail on Monday for leaking former President Donald Trump’s tax information to the press.
Littlejohn, a 38-year-old former contractor for the Inside Income Service, pleaded responsible in October to 1 rely of unauthorized disclosures of earnings tax returns. He leaked Trump’s tax information, in addition to the tax information of 1000’s of the nation’s wealthiest folks, to 2 information shops between 2018 and 2020. He deleted the paperwork from his work laptop computer earlier than returning it to the IRS.
U.S. District Decide Ana Reyes mentioned the leak was “an assault on our constitutional democracy,” in line with CNN, and she or he in contrast it to the Jan. 6 rebellion.
In October, Reyes mentioned that she was deeply troubled by Littlejohn’s actions.
“When now we have folks, for no matter purpose, take the regulation into their very own arms, society doesn’t operate,” she mentioned. “Make no mistake, this was not acceptable. If anybody tells you the ends justify the means, they’re unsuitable.”
The 2 information shops have been by no means named, however in 2020, The New York Occasions revealed Trump’s tax returns, and in 2019, ProPublica reported on the returns.
“By utilizing his position as a authorities contractor to achieve entry to personal tax data, steal that data, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal regulation and betrayed the general public’s belief,” mentioned Lawyer Common Merrick B. Garland in a news release. “In each case, the Division of Justice is dedicated to following the information wherever they lead and holding accountable those that violate our legal guidelines.”
