Charles Littlejohn, 38, who admitted to stealing and disclosing former President Donald Trump’s tax records, has been sentenced to five years in prison.
In October, Littlejohn pleaded guilty to unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns, revealing that he took Trump’s tax records and those of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people” while employed by a consulting firm with IRS contracts.
Littlejohn shared the information with two news outlets and erased the documents from his IRS-assigned laptop before returning it.
He covered his digital tracks by deleting the initial storage locations.
Judge Ana Reyes emphasized the seriousness of the crime, stating that it amounted to an attack on the US and its legal foundation.
“What you did in attacking the sitting president of the United States was an attack on our constitutional democracy,” Reyes remarked, calling it the “biggest heist in IRS history.”
She likened Littlejohn’s actions to the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, noting that they posed a similar threat to democracy.
Prosecutors revealed that Littlejohn took elaborate measures to steal the tax records without detection, exploiting system loopholes and using an Apple iPod to download data.
He then uploaded the information to a private website that he later deleted.
Reyes criticized the Justice Department’s decision to charge only one count against Littlejohn.
She expressed disbelief, stating, “The fact that he did what he did and he’s facing one felony count, I have no words for.”
Prosecutors argued that the single count covered the multitude of Littlejohn’s thefts and leaks.
In a court filing recommending the maximum sentence of five years, prosecutors stressed the importance of protecting individuals’ private tax information.
Littlejohn defended his actions in court, claiming a “sincere misguided belief” that he was serving the country and that people had a right to the tax information for informed decision-making.
Acknowledging the potential consequences of his actions, Littlejohn admitted that he undermined the fragile faith in government institutions in the US.
The sentencing reflects the gravity of his offense, as he now faces five years in federal prison.