Former President Donald Trump's tax return leaker, Charles Littlejohn, was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday.
According to reports, the former IRS contractor has leaked not only Trump's tax returns to the news media but also the filings of thousands of other wealthy people.
Donald Trump's Tax Return Leaker Commits 'Egregious' Crimes
According to Politico, Judge Ana Reyes agreed with the Justice Department that the 38-year-old tax leaker deserved the maximum statutory sentence for what she called "egregious" crimes.
Fox News reported that the judge condemned Charles Littlejohn's actions, saying it was an attack on "our constitutional democracy.
"When you target the sitting president of the United States, you're targeting the office and when you're targeting the office of the president of the United States, you're targeting democracy... you're targeting our constitutional system of government," Reyes noted.
"The press tells us Democracy dies in darkness. It also dies in lawlessness... There are numerous lawful means to bring things to light. Trump was under no obligation to expose his returns. People could vote for someone else. They could run against him," the judge added.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Littlejohn pursued to be an IRS consultant to leak Donald Trump's tax returns in 2019, which the ex-IRS contractor denied.
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Ex-IRS Contractor Leaked Donald Trump's Tax Returns to The New York Times and ProPublica
According to Politico, Charles Littlejohn leaked the tax information to The New York Times and ProPublica, both of which protested the sentence.
The New York Times, which received Donald Trump's tax returns, published a story in September 2020 based on the documents revealing that the former president had paid little or nothing in taxes.
ProPublica, on the other hand, received tax data on thousands of wealthy people, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and George Soros, and published several stories showing the tactics some use to lower or erase their tax bills.
When handing down the sentence, the judge maintained that Trump and the others have a right to privacy. Reyes said Littlejohn had clearly plotted a long-term plan to violate the former president's privacy.
"He did not make a snap judgment. He made a series of decisions. This court cannot let others view this conduct as acceptable. I need to send the strongest possible message that we are a nation of laws," Reyes noted.
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