A contractor with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been charged with stealing the tax returns of a high-ranking government official, who is believed to be former President Donald Trump. The contractor, identified as Charles Edward Littlejohn, allegedly stole tax returns and return information associated with the official, and disclosed that information to a news organization. In addition to Trump’s tax documents, Littlejohn is accused of stealing IRS information on thousands of wealthy individuals dating back more than 15 years, which he then sent to a second unnamed news organization. The stolen tax information was published in numerous articles by both news organizations.
Littlejohn is facing charges of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted. The New York Times and ProPublica are the news organizations believed to have received and published the stolen tax information, although they have not been accused of any wrongdoing. Littlejohn’s lawyer has not yet provided a comment on the charges, and ProPublica has stated that they do not know the identity of the source who provided the tax information on wealthy Americans.
CNN has reached out to The New York Times, ProPublica, and Trump for comments on the matter. The story is still developing, and updates are expected.