Charles Littlejohn, the ex-IRS contractor who leaked former President Donald Trump’s tax returns has been sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Ana Reyes. The sentence also includes 36 months of supervised release and a $5,000 fine.
“The press tells us Democracy dies in darkness. It also dies in lawlessness,” the judge said. “There are numerous lawful means to bring things to light. Trump was under no obligation to expose his returns. People could vote for someone else. They could run against him.”
“[Littlejohn] weaponized his access to unmasked taxpayer data to further his own personal political agenda, believing that he was above the law,” prosecutors alleged during the trial.
“A free press and public engagement with the media are critical to any healthy democracy, but stealing and leaking private, personal tax information strips individuals of the legal protection of their most sensitive data,” they added.
From NEWSMAX:
Federal prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence, the maximum allowed under U.S. law, arguing that Littlejohn was motivated by a political agenda and compromised the security of sensitive personal information. Littlejohn, according to prosecutors, sought a position at a consulting firm that works with the IRS in 2017 in hopes of accessing and disclosing records on Trump, who was president at the time.
Littlejohn’s lawyers said he was motivated by a “deep, moral belief” that the public had a right to know the information he shared, but now regrets his actions. Littlejohn’s legal team did not request a specific sentence, but sought a punishment comparable to prior government leakers.
Littlejohn secretly downloaded years of Trump’s tax records in 2018, later sharing them with reporters from the New York Times, according to court documents. The newspaper published a series of articles in 2020 revealing that Trump paid no income tax in 10 of the 15 years before he was elected president.
More over at NEWSMAX:
IRS Contractor Gets 5 Years for Leaking Trump Tax Records https://t.co/6ty5wuZcHb | 🔽 Read More 🔽
— NEWSMAX Money (@NEWSMAXMoney) January 29, 2024
