Ex-IRS contractor gets five years in prison for leak of tax return information of Trump, rich people

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former contractor for the Internal Revenue Service who pleaded guilty to leaking tax information to news outlets about former President Donald Trump and thousands of the country’s wealthiest people was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday. Charles Edward Littlejohn of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information. He gave the information to The New York Times and ProPublica between 2018 and 2020. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said she handed down the highest possible sentence to deter anyone else who might feel obligated to break the law. Littlejohn apologized to the people affected and for undermining trust in government.