A single man is responsible for leaking the tax information belonging to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others. Trump’s tax information was leaked to the New York Times and became the basis for a big story, while Bezos and Musk had their financial information handed over to ProPublica, which similarly reported on the documents.
The “Deep Throat” behind the leaks is Charles Littlejohn, 38, who formerly worked as a contractor at the Internal Revenue Service. Littlejohn’s position gave him access to the documents that he later shared with journalists during various periods in 2019 and 2020.
Littlejohn pleaded guilty to charges related to the case in October. On Monday, he was sentenced to five years in prison by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes in Washington DC. Reyes likened Littlejohn’s leaking of wealthy Americans’ tax records to “an attack on our constitutional democracy.”
“Charles Littlejohn abused his position as a consultant at the Internal Revenue Service by disclosing thousands of Americans’ federal tax returns and other private financial information to news organizations,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that those who violate laws intended to protect sensitive tax information will face significant punishment.”
On Monday, Littlejohn’s lawyer defended the former IRS contractor, claiming he acted “out of a deep, moral belief that the American people had a right to know the information and sharing it was the only way to effect change.”
Whistleblowers and leakers have long been an ongoing problem for the government. Though, over the past decade, there’s been a notable crackdown on that type of activity. It goes without saying that without Littlejohn’s leaks, the New York Times and ProPublica would not have been able to write some of their biggest stories from the last several years.
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