PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE!<\/p>\n
On Friday, The Federalist<\/a> posted an article about former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn. In case you don’t remember, Mr. Littlejohn was the person who stole and helped publicize the confidential tax records of Donald Trump and an estimated 7,500 other wealthy Americans. That is obviously illegal. So what price will Mr. Littlejohn pay for his actions? Is the fact that he leaked President Trump’s tax returns to the public going to play a role in the penalty he pays? We now have the answer to those questions.<\/p>\n The article reports:<\/p>\n Former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, who stole and helped publicize the confidential tax records of Donald Trump and an estimated 7,500 other wealthy Americans, could face little or no jail time when he\u2019s sentenced later this month, because the DOJ allowed him to plead guilty to a single felony count.<\/strong><\/p>\n In a new court filing, prosecutors acknowledge the plea deal \u201cdoes not account for the fact that he leaked thousands of individuals\u2019 tax returns. His [sentencing] range would be the same today if he had leaked only a single return.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n But instead of seeking prison time for each of his offenses \u2014 or even for the two separate mass thefts he committed, one in 2019 and another in 2020 \u2014 the DOJ is asking a federal judge to sentence Littlejohn to just 60 months, the maximum for a single offense under the statute. Some political leaders angry over the plea deal say he should get 60 years, not months, for his crime \u2014 the biggest heist of IRS taxpayer data in history.<\/strong><\/p>\n Attorneys for Littlejohn, 38, argue he\u00a0actually deserves an even lower sentence, closer to the presentencing report\u2019s range of four to 10 months, in part because he leaked the reams of stolen private income-tax data to \u201creputable news organizations \u2014 The New York Times and ProPublica \u2014 that he knew would handle the information responsibly.\u201d They say a 60-month term is \u201cequivalent to a 15-level upward departure\u201d from the range prosecutors originally agreed to in the plea deal, and such a wide departure would be unprecedented.<\/strong><\/p>\n The D.C. judge deciding Littlejohn\u2019s fate \u201cdoes not have unfettered discretion to depart from the applicable sentencing guidelines,\u201d Littlejohn\u2019s attorney Lisa Manning advised the court in papers filed last week.<\/strong><\/p>\n U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee who has a record of meting out lenient sentences, will decide his punishment on Jan. 29.<\/strong><\/p>\n I guess it depends on who’s tax returns you leak.<\/p>\n UPDATE!\u00a0 GOOD NEWS!\u00a0 \u00a0JUSTICE STILL EXISTS IN AMERICA!<\/p>\n According to Hot Air<\/a> on January 19:<\/p>\n Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty in October, and prosecutors sought the statutory maximum of five years in federal prison, saying that he \u201cabused his position by unlawfully disclosing thousands of Americans\u2019 federal tax returns and other private financial information to multiple news organizations.\u201d Prosecutors said that Littlejohn \u201cweaponized his access to unmasked taxpayer data to further his own personal, political agenda, believing that he was above the law.\u201d \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ARTICLE! On Friday, The Federalist posted an article about former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn. In case you don’t remember, Mr. Littlejohn was the person who stole and helped publicize the confidential … Continue reading