New York Times, Former Contractor Who Leaked Trump’s Tax Returns Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison:

A former Internal Revenue Service contractor accused of leaking the tax documents of Donald J. Trump and other wealthy Americans was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison.

The former contractor, Charles Littlejohn, known as Chaz, worked for the tax agency from 2017 to 2021, when he stole the tax records of thousands of the country’s wealthiest people, including Mr. Trump, prosecutors said. Mr. Littlejohn then provided the information to The New York Times and ProPublica.

Prosecutors said his actions “appear to be unparalleled in the I.R.S.’s history.”

Mr. Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty late last year to one count of the unauthorized disclosure of tax return information. In addition to five years in prison, which is one of the largest sentences in a federal leak investigation, Mr. Littlejohn was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, 300 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.

“Today’s sentence sends a strong message that those who violate laws intended to protect sensitive tax information will face significant punishment,” Nicole M. Argentieri, the acting assistant attorney general who oversees the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement. Prosecutors said the harm from Mr. Littlejohn’s disclosures were “so extensive and ongoing that it is impossible to quantify.”

Wall Street Journal Editorial, The Tax-Return Leaker Gets Five Years:

Charles Littlejohn had his day in court on Monday, and the judge threw as big a book as she had at him. Let’s hope the former Internal Revenue Service contractor’s prison time becomes a warning to others, rather than the heroic tale the media and left continue to present. …

We should add a word here about the New York Times, which received and published Mr. Littlejohn’s leak of Mr. Trump’s returns. When Mr. Littlejohn pleaded guilty last year, a spokesman for the Times said, “We remain concerned when whistleblowers who provide information in the public interest are prosecuted.” Translation: We don’t like it when our sources who commit crimes are then prosecuted for breaking the law because that might deter other sources.