Former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn has been sentenced to five years in prison for leaking the tax records of Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk to various news organizations, including the New York Times and ProPublica.
Littlejohn pleaded guilty in October, and prosecutors sought the maximum sentence, arguing that he had "abused his position" by unlawfully disclosing thousands of Americans' tax returns and private financial information. They accused him of using his access to unmasked taxpayer data to further his personal and political agenda, believing he was above the law.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who presided over the case, emphasized the seriousness of Littlejohn's actions, stating that his targeting of the sitting President was an attack on the constitutional democracy of the United States. She drew parallels between his actions and the attacks and threats against elected officials, as well as the defendants involved in the January 6 incident. In addition to the prison sentence, Littlejohn was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
Littlejohn's attorney argued that his client's actions were driven by a deep moral belief that the American people had a right to know the information and that sharing it was the only way to effect change. Littlejohn himself expressed remorse before the sentencing, stating that he had acted out of a sincere but misguided belief that he was serving the public. He acknowledged that he was fully aware of the potential consequences of his actions.
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