The Department of Justice charged an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contractor, contending that the individual leaked tax return information of a “high-ranking government official.”
The individual also leaked the tax information of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals.”
A press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ) reads, “According to court documents, Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., while working at the IRS as a government contractor, stole tax return information associated with a high-ranking government official (Public Official A) and disclosed it to a news organization (News Organization 1). Littlejohn also stole tax return information for thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, and disclosed this tax return information to another news organization (News Organization 2).”
“Littlejohn is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison,” the press release continues.
Sources close to the investigation said the official whose information was leaked was Donald Trump, although he is not listed in court documents.
Littlejohn stole the information while working at a consulting firm that “served public and private clients,” according to court documents.
Reporting from The Blaze:
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel stated, "Any disclosure of taxpayer information is unacceptable." "The IRS has put in place new protocols and protections that tightened security, and our aggressive work in this critical area continues in order to protect the tax and financial information of taxpayers," Werfel added.
