this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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The man who stole and leaked former President Donald Trump and thousands of other’s tax records has been sentenced to five years in prison.

In October, Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns. According to his plea agreement, he stole Trump’s tax returns along with the tax data of “thousands of the nation’s wealthiest people,” while working for a consulting firm with contracts with the Internal Revenue Service.

Littlejohn leaked the information to two news outlets and deleted the documents from his IRS-assigned laptop before returning it and covered the rest of his digital tracks by deleting places where he initially stored the information.

Judge Ana Reyes highlighted the gravity of the crime, saying multiple times that it amounted to an attack against the US and its legal foundation.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 165 points 1 year ago (4 children)

That's a longer sentence than many of the January 6th traitors.

[–] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This. Jan 6 traitors are getting slap on their wrists and pat on their backs

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

All Cops are Bastards, All Judges are Bastards, All Prosecutors are Bastards.

The entire fucking "justice" system is tilted towards forgiving and enabling right-wing violence while labeling left-wing protest as "terrorism" that justifies lethal force.

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[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Oh I know. Littlejohn committed the real type of crime- financial.

[–] Omegamanthethird@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Financial crime against the rich, specifically.

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[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 77 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sucks that leaking those returns moved the needle exactly 0% in the fight against Trump.

[–] MataVatnik@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Trump could be eating his own shit in front of a crowd during a rally and his followers will start doing the same.

[–] 0x0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Would they eat his or their own?

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[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 75 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anyone has ever deserved a pardon it's this guy

[–] Tristaniopsis@aussie.zone 16 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Unfortunately a presidential pardon would be as blatant a political act as they come. Or at least that’s how it would be perceived.

He’ll be OK. There’ll be employers lining up to give him a job afterwards.

[–] Zess@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Putting ketchup on a burger and not mustard is seen as a political act anymore. Trump pardoned a group of war criminals, Charles Littlejohn deserves to walk free.

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[–] alienanimals@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Charles Littlejohn is a hero.

[–] LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 31 points 1 year ago

He's a political prisoner.

There is a vast accumulation of power and systemic corruption because of the vast concentration of wealth. That should be unconstitutional and should be opposed.

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 68 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yet holding onto classified documents, then hiding them and lying about it to investigators for months gets nothing but a very stern finger-wagging?

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[–] aulin@lemmy.world 67 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Coming from. Sweden where all tax records are public, it seems insane to get 5 years for revealing taxes.

[–] Michal@programming.dev 35 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yeah, and wasn't Trump supposed to show his tax returns the moment he became president and promised he'd do it?

[–] MisterD@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's more of a norm, not a requirement or law.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 63 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In a sane world, he would have been given a Medal of Honor

[–] psmgx@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Hey may catch a pardon depending on how November goes. Could get ugly if Trump wins, too. The Donald is not a forgiving type...

[–] m0darn@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 year ago

There is a zero percent chance of Biden pardoning him.

If AOC is elected president then maybe.

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[–] rustydomino@lemmy.world 57 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't know if this sort of thing is allowed, but if outsiders can donate money to his prison commissary account, I will definitely donate.

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too bad judge Reyes isnt going to tell us how serious it is to steal classified documents and sell them.

[–] Fades@lemmy.world 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Careful guys, he’s a hero

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[–] linearchaos@lemmy.world 35 points 1 year ago (35 children)

They made an example of them. That judge is well enough off to be thoroughly upset that somebody might release their crooked tax documents.

Honestly I think they should slip something into the law, for this type of leak if the person was lying and you release the document proving them lying that you get a slap on the wrist.

[–] Tristaniopsis@aussie.zone 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I think he was given the maximum to keep the peace and not allow the dimwits to say he was a Dem puppet.

I have a feeling that in the background he’ll likely be treated ok.

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[–] AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Yeah. I mean, considering what they could have done, though, I'd say 5 years is less of a slap on the wrist, and more of a whack with a yardstick.

[–] abraxas@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Five years is literally the worst sentence you can get for the crime he pled guilty to. From how it's worded, the most recommended penalty for that crime appears to be a $5000 fine and maybe a little jail time.

They "threw the book at him" by all definitions of the word.

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[–] callouscomic@lemm.ee 30 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Leak a billionaires tax records: 5 years.

Literally rape while a billionaire: 0 years.

[–] jeremyparker@programming.dev 20 points 1 year ago

Becoming president and attempting to overthrow the government: ???

Let's find out!

[–] runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zone 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Rape a girl behind a dumpster, with rich parents: think about his swimming career! 6 months, 4 with good behavior.

[–] jeremyparker@programming.dev 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Raping multiple children while supposedly being the spiritual leader of a community: sideways job transfer.

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[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How did they get him tried and sentenced so fast?

Every time I question why Trump isn't in jail already people keep telling me "these things take time".

Given that Trump is a high profile case, allowing them to take twice the time of a normal person would have still put him behind bars already.

[–] AnneBonny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

They didn't try him, he ~~pled~~ pleaded(?) guilty.

In October, Charles Littlejohn, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized disclosures of income tax returns.

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[–] DharkStare@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (8 children)

The judge compared Littlejohn’s actions to those of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, noting that, “your actions were also a threat to our democracy.”

Because stealing and releasing tax documents is the same thing as attempting to violently overthrow the government.

[–] Hegar@kbin.social 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

“your actions were also a threat to our democracy.”

This is one of those exciting sentences where you have to substitute 'democracy' for 'rich people's yacht money'.

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[–] KeefChief13@lemmy.world 21 points 1 year ago
[–] mildlyusedbrain@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Lol check out this bs: "The judge compared Littlejohn’s actions to those of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, noting that, “your actions were also a threat to our democracy.”

“It engenders the same fear that January 6 does,” Reyes added."

[–] Zink@programming.dev 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Invasion of privacy is a very big deal to our legal system when it is the rich peoples’ big number papers.

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[–] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

If he really thought it was like january 6th he would have gone leinent on him like all the other j6 defendents.

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[–] donescobar@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

Can you imagine the storm in truth social if Biden pardoned this guy lmao, cmon Biden!

[–] Fur_Fox_Sheikh@sh.itjust.works 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've actually met this guy a few years ago... crazy... he was a pretty nice guy from what I recall - brought homemade cinnamon buns to a party.

Anyways, his friends set up a gofundme to donate for his legal fees, since of course it costs thousands to continue defending himself and his actions...

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[–] raynethackery@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you declare you are running for President, it should trigger an automatic disclosure of your entire tax record.

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[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That's RIGHT! Releasing Tax Returns gets you MORE Jail Time then trying to violently overthrow the United States Government and HANG the Vice President! That will teach Hostile Countries to MESS with US!

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[–] LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I'm being blocked https://edition.cnn.com/browser-blocked (They seem to block "I don't care about cookies" extension. But the internet is becoming unusable because of all the cookie spam!)

Archive link: https://archive.is/eyFmw

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