Charles Littlejohn was charged with just one crime after leaking the tax information of 50,000 Americans.
May 29, 2024, published at 6:45 PM ET
A victim of the largest theft of private taxpayer information Charles Littlejohn stole the individual and corporate tax information of up to 70,000 people, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The reality of the tens of thousands of victims was very different from what actually happened tax authorities initially said Littlejohn's crimes had affected “thousands” of individuals.
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In an opinion column for the Wall Street Journalauthor Ira Stoll wrote that she was warned by the U.S. Treasury Department that their company's tax returns were among the thousands leaked by the IRS thief, who disclosed the information to news sources including ProRepublica And The New York Times.
While notable celebrities have reportedly been affected by Littlejohn's crimes Le Bron James, Taylor Swift, Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods – And Donald Trumpit has now been revealed that tens of thousands of other citizens were also involved in the leak.
Taylor Swift was one of the celebrities involved in the tax information leak.
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Stolen files include years of tax returns, audits, gambling losses, details of stock transactions and medical expense deductions.
Despite the severity of the former IRS contractor's crimes — and prosecutors noting that the breach was “unprecedented in the history of the IRS” — Littlejohn ultimately pleaded guilty to just one felony count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and filing information.
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It was also said that Oprah Winfrey's data was included in the leak.
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Littlejohn received only five years behind bars. Despite the media attention surrounding Trump's tax information included in the leak, the ex-IRS contractor was not formally charged with stealing the ex-president's information because the statute of limitations for that specific threat had expired.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes questioned why Littlejohn faced a single charge — which effectively lumped together the estimated 50,000 to 70,000 victims — and imposed an additional three years of supervised release and a $5,000 fine.
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Littlejohn was not charged for disclosing former President Donald Trump's tax records to news media.
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While it was widely reported that a handful of the country's wealthiest celebrities were involved in the breach, thousands of other private citizens are being notified that their personal and business information was also stolen.
“The Crime Victims' Rights Act gives me the right to consult with government attorneys. I spoke by phone with two federal prosecutors, Jonathan Jacobson and Jennifer Clarke. Mr. Jacobson told me that “more than 50,000” and perhaps as many as 70,000 taxpayers have done this. affected by the disclosure, making it the largest known unauthorized disclosure of tax information in U.S. history,” Stoll wrote in the Wall Street Journal column.
“The Justice Department's sentencing memorandum in the case cites 'thousands' of victims, so many that it 'becomes impracticable' to give everyone the rights guaranteed by law,” Stoll continued. “The memo spoke of the 'psychological damage' caused by Mr. Littlejohn.”
“Worse, it appears the damage could continue indefinitely,” the memo says, noting that the news organization has 'continued to publish stories' based on the leak.”
“That means that victims who believe their information has only been disclosed to a news organization, but not yet to the general public, have no assurance that their personal information will not be the subject of a news article tomorrow, next week, next month. or even next year.”
