A consultant based in Washington D.C. for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been charged with stealing tax returns belonging to former President Donald Trump and numerous wealthy individuals in 2019 and 2020. The consultant, Charles Edward Littlejohn, allegedly provided this information to two news organizations who subsequently published articles revealing the minimal amount of federal income taxes paid by the super-rich. Littlejohn now faces one federal felony count of unauthorized disclosure of tax information, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The court filings and individuals familiar with the investigation did not disclose the name of Littlejohn’s company, the news organizations involved, or the identities of the taxpayers. However, they did indicate that Littlejohn, while working on an IRS contract, stole tax returns from 2018 to 2020 and leaked the information to the news organizations between August 2019 and November 2020. These dates align with the publication of information from Trump’s tax records by the New York Times in September 2020, as well as the report by ProPublica in June 2021, which detailed the tax information of the top income-reporting Americans.
Littlejohn has been charged by criminal information, a type of charging document typically used when a defendant has agreed to plead guilty. Littlejohn has not commented on the charges, and his defense attorney has also declined to comment.
These charges represent the first public development in the Justice Department’s investigation into the tax disclosures from three years ago regarding Trump’s minimal federal income tax payments. The leaks provoked widespread criticism and debate, with Democrats calling for increased taxes on the wealthy and restoration of funding cuts to IRS tax enforcement. Republicans, on the other hand, viewed the leaks as politically motivated and timed to coincide with the 2020 presidential election. The extent of the leaks also shocked lawmakers and IRS officials, as breaches of tax privacy have historically been rare.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has described the leaks as “astonishing” and “extremely serious,” and vowed to prioritize the investigation. The Biden administration has adopted a less aggressive stance towards pursuing journalists’ data in leak cases, although the Justice Department continues to investigate leaks of classified information or protected documents.
The court documents did not reveal how investigators linked Littlejohn to the news reports but stated that his unauthorized disclosures occurred in West Virginia. The case is being investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and is being prosecuted by trial attorneys from the Justice Department’s public integrity section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the northern district of West Virginia.
The IRS has stated that it cannot comment on pending legal matters, but IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has condemned any disclosure of taxpayer information and highlighted the agency’s efforts to enhance security and protect taxpayers’ financial information.
As of now, there has been no comment from a spokesman for Trump. The New York Times declined to comment, and ProPublica stated that they have no information regarding the source who provided the tax information they published.
According to federal prosecutors, Littlejohn worked as a contractor for a consulting firm with government and private clients, primarily on tax administration contracts with the IRS. In a Washington Post Magazine dating column from June 2018, a participant named Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, with a similar background, was featured. However, it is unclear if this is the same individual as the consultant in question.
These charges highlight the seriousness of unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information and the potential implications for individuals involved in such actions. The investigation into these leaks continues, as the Justice Department seeks to hold accountable those responsible for compromising taxpayers’ privacy and disclosing sensitive financial information.
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