Charles Littlejohn: Man who stole and leaked Trump tax records sentenced to 5 years in prison | CNN Politics
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The man who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump and thousands of other’s tax records has been sentenced to five years in prison.

The man who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump and thousands of other’s tax records has been sentenced to five years in prison.

In October, Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns. According to his plea agreement, he stole Trump’s tax returns along with the tax data of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people,” while working for a consulting firm with contracts with the Internal Revenue Service.

Littlejohn leaked the information to two news outlets and deleted the documents from his IRS-assigned laptop before returning it and covered the rest of his digital tracks by deleting places where he initially stored the information.

Judge Ana Reyes highlighted the gravity of the crime, saying multiple times that it amounted to an attack against the US and its legal foundation.

  • linearchaos@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    9 months ago

    Could have done worse. Whistleblowers generally deserve significant leniency though I feel. Especially for a crime where no one was injured.

    • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      9 months ago

      He got the maximum sentence under §7213

      I mean, they could have disappeared him or thrown in a bunch of bullshit charges. But for what he did, he got as bad as it gets. The DOJ page even said they sentenced him so harshly to send a warning to people who consider repeating his behavior.

      Whistleblowers are always punished harshly on purpose.

      • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
        0·
        9 months ago

        Wait. Was this a felony? Okay, then I guess he’s not getting off lightly. Sure, he’s in prison for only 5 years, but after he gets out he’s still a felon. That means no voting, no gun ownership, no passport so he can’t leave the country, ever.

        • LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee
          0·
          9 months ago

          Wait, felons can’t get a passport so they leave the US? That kind of makes them political prisoners.

        • paysrenttobirds@sh.itjust.works
          0·
          9 months ago

          I thought the same as you, but it seems it’s not so bad. You can vote after a felony sentence in the US, but maybe not right away and sometimes you have to settle court fines first.

          Guns take longer and maybe never if your crime was violent or involved gun laws.

          For passports, it seems most certain to be a no if your crime involved trafficking, smuggling, or anything to do with another country.

          I think this guy can expect these rights restored after his sentence. But you’re still right that the conviction will likely be a continuing problem in other ways. I doubt he could be hired as CPA or anywhere else involving confidential records.