Former IRS contractor who leaked private tax data of Donald Trump and other wealthy Americans to news organizations may have come into his job with the intention of disseminating such confidential data. To achieve his goal, he bypassed protocols designed to prevent large downloads by saving information across various devices (including an iPod).
This leak stunned lawmakers and spurred calls for reforms on taxes for the rich. Now, its perpetrator has entered his plea of guilty.
DOJ Says Littlejohn Took Job With Intention of Stealing Trump’s Tax Returns
Prosecutors allege Littlejohn joined Booz Allen with the sole intent of accessing sensitive taxpayer information for his personal political agenda, using broad search parameters as “weaponized work”. They further allege he violated company protocols by downloading large volumes of information from IRS systems and storing it using different devices.
Littlejohn is accused of disclosing private tax return information to news organizations. According to the Justice Department, one such news outlet was The New York Times; another was ProPublica which published multiple articles detailing how billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Michael Bloomberg paid minimal or no taxes while their fortunes skyrocketed.
The government notified 152 victims of leaks, such as Citadel and Bloomberg LP founders. Notice was provided on Sept 22 – one week before Donald Trump lost key battleground states at election time.
Littlejohn Weaponized Access to Unmasked Taxpayer Data
Littlejohn modified a computer system to bypass security measures and used sophisticated searches to gather tax information about hundreds of Americans – including President Trump and many of the wealthiest individuals – before sharing that data with news organizations such as ProPublica and New York Times, who published articles detailing his leak of tax records.
Prosecutors charged that Littlejohn’s scheme caused harm to victims in numerous ways, including disclosing personal and private details to the public and causing embarrassment and anxiety.” Although no names were specified by the government for its victims, a source familiar with the case confirmed both New York Times and ProPublica received leaked data.
Littlejohn, who represents Booz Allen Hamilton as well as its client Booz Allen Hamilton, did not respond quickly to a request for comment Thursday. A judge will rule in late January on his fate; up to five years in prison could await him according to government estimates. Authorities claim they have informed 152 victims including Donald Trump himself as well as billionaires such as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk of Littlejohn’s actions.
Littlejohn Leaked Tax Return Information to News Organizations
Prosecutors allege Littlejohn downloaded Trump and other wealthy Americans’ private tax filing information from an IRS database and saved it to multiple personal storage devices, including an iPod, before giving it to a news organization in September 2020.
Court documents state that the unnamed news outlet to which he provided this information published “numerous articles” about Trump and other wealthy people who pay little or no federal income tax, per court documents. Furthermore, their reporting appeared in June 2021 by Pro Publica as part of its non-profit investigative journalism group.
Littlejohn agreed to plead guilty on one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax return and return information, carrying a maximum five-year prison term. His sentencing date has been scheduled for Jan 29. Trump attorney Alina Habba called Littlejohn’s leak an “atrocity,” suggesting a lengthy jail term; Littlejohn’s legal representation declined comment Thursday. Littlejohn worked at Booz Allen from 2008-13 before returning as an IRS contractor at Booz Allen after an interim appointment from 2016 to 2017. According to the government, Littlejohn sought this position precisely so he would gain access.
Littlejohn Obstructed a Future Investigation
Federal courts charged him with one count of unlawful disclosure of tax return information and could sentence him up to five years in jail if found guilty.
The Justice Department alleges that Littlejohn exploited his access to the IRS system to exploit protocols by saving data across multiple devices and thwarting investigations by deleting or destroying evidence.
Prosecutors allege that Cohen released Trump and other wealthy Americans’ private tax information to two news organizations between August and November 2020, including The New York Times which published Trump’s returns and reported he paid only $750 federal income tax in his first year as President due to losses that exceeded expected payments.
House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees the IRS and writes tax law, asked for these returns so it could review them to assess if they had been properly audited.
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