The investigation into the leak of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns was only resolved when investigators stumbled upon a suspect in an entirely different case. The suspect, a former IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, is set to be sentenced on Monday.
The breakthrough came after ProPublica published a series of articles in June 2021, revealing how several American billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Warren Buffett, paid minimal income tax relative to their vast wealth. This led investigators to realize that the extensive data could only have come from an IRS leak.
Despite initial challenges, the investigators eventually identified the source of the billionaire tax information, leading them to the individual responsible for the Trump tax return leak. The prime suspect, Littlejohn, was identified and later admitted to sharing both data sets.
Littlejohn admitted to leaking Trump’s tax information to The New York Times. This revelation allowed the government to include the Trump tax return leak in their case against Littlejohn.
Trump’s tax returns had been a matter of great interest, especially since he had refused to release them, breaking a long-standing tradition. The investigation into the Trump tax return leak was politically charged, with strong opinions from both sides.
Littlejohn’s sentencing is set for Monday, with prosecutors recommending a five-year prison term. His lawyer, Lisa Manning, has argued that this sentence would be “extreme” and unjustified.
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