• Timecircleline@sh.itjust.works
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    10 months ago

    Littlejohn? As in like Littlejohn from Robinhood?

    An actual man named Littlejohn stole the tax records of the wealthy and leaked to the public.

    The writing this season really has gone off the rails.

  • chaogomu@kbin.social
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    10 months ago

    Dude knew damn well he would go to prison for his work, but felt that it had to be done regardless.

      • Kiernian@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Charles Littlejohn is an Internal Revenue Service consultant who is accused of “disclosing tax return information without authorization,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Details in the indictment match the New York Times’ reporting on former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, and ProPublica’s reporting on the tax returns of the nation’s billionaires, ProPublica reported.

        According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Littlejohn, while working at the IRS as a government contractor, “stole tax return information associated with a high-ranking government official (Public Official A) and disclosed it to a news organization (News Organization 1).”

        The DOJ accuses Littlejohn of also stealing “tax return information for thousands of the nation’s wealthiest individuals, and disclosed this tax return information to another news organization (News Organization 2).

        Littlejohn, 38, is from Washington D.C., according to Pro Publica. His full name is Charles Edward Littlejohn, the indictment says.

        Here’s what you need to know:

        1. Charles Littlejohn Is Accused of Releasing Donald Trump’s Tax Returns to The New York Times, Reports Say

        ProPublica reported that the DOJ’s description of the second leak “appears to match The New York Times’ reporting on the taxes of Donald Trump.”

        The DOJ statement does not name Trump. As Trump battled against release of his tax records, The New York Times reported that he did not pay income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years.

        “Long-Concealed Records Show Trump’s Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance,” The Times’ headline says.

        Littlejohn “is charged with one count of unauthorized disclosure of tax returns and return information. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison,” the DOJ said.

        “Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Trevor Nelson of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) made the announcement,” the DOJ’s news release said, adding that TIGTA “is investigating the case.”

        The complaint says that, from in or about 2018 until in or about 2020, “while Defendant was working on an IRS contract, he stole tax returns and return information associated with Public Official A and thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, including returns and return information dating back more than 15 years.”

        It adds: “He thereafter disclosed the tax information associated with Public Official A to News Organization 1 and the other tax information to News Organization 2. Both news organizations published numerous articles describing the tax information they obtained from the Defendant.” 2. ProPublica Says the Charles Littlejohn Charges Appear Related to a ‘Trove of IRS data’ the News Organization Used in a ‘Secret IRA Files’ Series

        One of the news organizations, ProPublica, reported that the DOJ’s description “of one of those leaks appears to refer to the trove of IRS data that ProPublica used to report its ‘Secret IRS Files’ series. The vast dataset contained details on thousands of wealthy Americans, and ProPublica reported dozens of stories based on an analysis of it.”

        “As we have said from the beginning, we do not know the identity of the source, so we have nothing further to say about the charges filed today,” Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica’s editor in chief, said in the story.

        ProPublica’s series announced, “A massive trove of tax information obtained by ProPublica, covering thousands of America’s wealthiest individuals, reveals what’s inside the billionaires’ bag of tricks for minimizing their personal tax bills — sometimes to nothing.”

        The taxes returns covered in that series included information relating to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett, all billionaires, according to Pro Publica. “The tax data was provided to ProPublica after we published a series of articles scrutinizing the IRS,” the article says, not naming its source.

        The series reported:

        ProPublica has obtained a vast trove of Internal Revenue Service data on the tax returns of thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people, covering more than 15 years. The data provides an unprecedented look inside the financial lives of America’s titans, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch and Mark Zuckerberg. It shows not just their income and taxes, but also their investments, stock trades, gambling winnings and even the results of audits.
        
        1. Charles Littlejohn Has Served as a Contractor to a Consulting Firm that Worked for the IRS, the Indictment Says

        The indictment says “from in or about 2017 until in or about 2021, Defendant CHARLES EDWARD LITTLEJOHN served as a contractor to Company A, a consulting firm that serviced public and private clients.” The firm is not named.

        “During the relevant period, Defendant primarily worked on contracts Company A had obtained with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”). Pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6103(n), returns and return information were disclosed to Defendant for purposes of tax administration,” the indictment says.

        According to Fox News, reported that “a guilty plea is in the works” and that Littlejohn was a contractor for the IRS when he is accused of stealing Trump’s tax returns and giving them to the New York Times. 4. Former President Donald Trump Accused the ‘Fake News Media’ of Publishing ‘Illegally Obtained Information’

        The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits…..
        
        — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2020
        

        Trump railed at the news media after the publication of his tax returns. “The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information & only bad intent. I paid many millions of dollars in taxes but was entitled, like everyone else, to depreciation & tax credits……” he wrote on X.

        He added, “Also, if you look at the extraordinary assets owned by me, which the Fake News hasn’t, I am extremely under leveraged – I have very little debt compared to the value of assets. Much of this information is already on file, but I have long said that I may release.

        “Financial Statements, from the time I announced I was going to run for President, showing all properties, assets and debts. It is a very IMPRESSIVE Statement, and also shows that I am the only President on record to give up my yearly $400,000 plus Presidential Salary!” Trump wrote. 5. The IRS Has ‘Tightened Security,” Reports Say

        🚨BREAKING: An IRS contractor has been charged with STEALING President Trump's tax returns and providing them to a "news organization" Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, DC is facing up to FIVE YEARS in prison on this charge. https://t.co/BLiHKfOAGX pic.twitter.com/hZq5TCQQWz
        
        — Will Goren (@RealWillGoren) September 29, 2023
        

        According to the Associated Press, the IRS declined to comment specifically on the Littlejohn indictment.

        However, Commissioner Danny Werfel said “any disclosure of taxpayer information is unacceptable,” the AP reported, adding that “the agency has since tightened security.”

        According to Politico, Ken Griffin, “a prominent hedge fund manager,” sued the IRS “for failing to protect his tax filings,” and the government argued in court that “there was no evidence that leak came from a government employee.”

        “The government has a fundamental obligation to protect the confidentiality of Americans’ sensitive information, whether it be tax records or healthcare records,” Griffin told Politico.

    • tsonfeir
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      10 months ago

      They found one thing they agreed on, though, which was that dying in a plane crash would be a “pretty sweet” way to go.

      And I said, “well, that’s one thing we’ve got!”

        • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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          10 months ago

          Even lesser ass.

          Charles “Chaz” Littlejohn, 33, is originally from St. Louis and has lived on and off in the District over the past decade. The small-business owner and consultant describes himself as “sentimental” and digs Sour Patch Kids, Kanye West (before he said slavery was a “choice”) and live music. He is looking for a confident, flirty gal who knows what she wants. He told me that lately he has met dates at concerts, at house parties or through friends. “I’m biased against apps,” he said, because they seem “like an experience that will jade you. Everything is sort of measured, a little dystopian.” He quickly added, “But I’m gonna probably try it out eventually.” We set him up with Houston native Kerrie Ford, a 26-year-old contractor in nuclear and government affairs. This “excitable” gal likes Houston sports teams and George W. Bush’s cheeks and is seeking a spontaneous dude who isn’t afraid to challenge her. “I can be a little bossy sometimes,” she said. “I like having a guy who is confident and pushes back.” Unlike Chaz, Kerrie has tried dating apps. She’s also been on several “accidental dates.” “I’m bad at picking up cues. When a guy friend asks me if I want to go to dinner, I think of it as friends. I wouldn’t have said yes if I knew it was a date,” she said.

          The duo met at Espita Mezcaleria, a restaurant featuring authentic Oaxacan cuisine in Shaw. Over appetizers of ceviche, guacamole and queso, they sized each other up. Kerrie said: “He was a good-looking guy. He had a nice smile.” Chaz thought she was “pretty,” but … “I tend to like more alternative or nerdy types of girls,” he explained, while Kerrie was “more conventionally attractive.” Still, he said, “I wanted to find out more about her before making judgments.” They tried the mezcal sampler, and Chaz said he found Kerrie to be “a great person to talk to. She had interesting questions and a positive outlook.” Kerrie liked that he made eye contact. (“Lack of eye contact during conversation” is a pet peeve of hers.) Only, Chaz has “a really penetrating stare,” she said. “At some point I felt a little bit violated. Like, ‘You’re looking into my soul — stop!’ ” Perhaps Chaz was staring at her so intently because he was trying to solve what he calls “the mystery of why we were paired.” Over dinner (adobo pork tacos for her, pork loin for him), they covered the standard information on families and hometowns, then they got down to interests. Chaz said: “She asked me what kind of music I like, and I said, ‘I like electronic, I like rap, I like pop. How about you?’ She said she really just likes music from 20 years ago.” Chaz, an avid concertgoer, was disappointed: “I thought it was peculiar that I got set up with someone who didn’t really care for music.” It didn’t get any better from there. Kerrie told me that Chaz said he loved living in Washington because he felt he could talk to everyone about politics. “And I was like, ‘Actually I hate talking about politics.’ ”

          Share this article Share Kerrie described Chaz as “nerdier than guys that I tend to go out with.” She explained: “When he filled out the Date Lab form, he put it into a Google doc and had his friends proofread it for him. Whereas, I said to myself, ‘This looks kind of fun! Screw it!’ and filled it out in 15 minutes.” (Fun fact: Word count on her profile was 881; his was 1,582.) Though she found his effort “endearing,” she said it lacked spontaneity and was “a little calculating.” The fact that Kerrie played soccer in college and spends her weekends playing soccer didn’t help. “I walked off the soccer field crying when I was 5 years old and I never looked back,” Chaz told me. “I don’t tend to abide by the idea that opposites attract.” They found one thing they agreed on, though, which was that dying in a plane crash would be a “pretty sweet” way to go. He explained: “She was telling me about her friend who is afraid of flying, and Kerrie said, ‘Well, on the off chance the plane does crash, it’s a hell of a way to go!’ And I said, ‘Yes, exactly! At least you’ll be in the paper.’ ” They ended the night with churros and agreed that they were not compatible. On the bright side, at least they got in the paper. Rate the date Chaz: 4 [out of 5]. “It was an enjoyable date … but not a match.” Kerrie: 3.5. “Nice guy, easy to talk to, just not someone I’m interested in dating.”