A former consultant with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pleaded guilty on Thursday for leaking tax information about former President Trump and others to news outlets between 2018 and 2020.
According to the Justice Department, Charles Littlejohn, 38, disclosed the tax returns of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals” to news organizations and tax information associated with a “high-ranking government official” to a second news outlet. Trump is not named in the complaint.
Alina Habba, attorney for former President Donald Trump, left of center, Former US President Donald Trump, center, and Chris Kise, attorney for former President Donald Trump, right of center, at New York State Supreme Court in New York, US, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax return and return information.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said that Littlejohn “betrayed the public’s trust” by stealing confidential information.
“By using his role as a government contractor to gain access to private tax information, steal that information, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal law and betrayed the public’s trust,” said Attorney Garland. “In every case, the Department of Justice is committed to following the facts wherever they lead and holding accountable those who violate our laws.”
Former President Donald Trump told Columbia Journalism Review he had to fight off “unbelievably fake stories” during his presidency. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
The Justice Department said that Littlejohn accessed tax returns on an IRS database and saved the tax returns on personal storage device, including an iPod.
The Justice Department did not specify the two news organizations that Littlejohn leaked the documents to, but Fox News was told that the two organizations were the New York Times and Pro Publica, a New York City-based nonprofit investigative journalism group.
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He will be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2024, and could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano Jr. and David Spunt contributed to this report.