The Justice Department on Thursday announced that a former IRS contractor has pleaded guilty to stealing and disclosing sensitive tax information to the press. The announcement comes weeks after the individual was charged with the crime.

The documents he was accused of leaking were associated with some of America’s wealthiest people, including former President Donald Trump.

An IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to disclosing tax return information without authorization.

“By using his role as a government contractor to gain access to private tax information, steal that information, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal law and betrayed the public’s trust,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “In every case, the Department of Justice is committed to following the facts wherever they lead and holding accountable those who violate our laws.”

“The unauthorized theft and disclosure of tax return information by government employees or contractors is a serious breach of the public’s trust,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department will hold accountable those who illegally exploit their access to sensitive personal information.”

Littlejohn’s actions were meticulously detailed in the Justice Department's press release. He accessed and disclosed tax returns related to thousands of individuals. Between 2018 and 2020, the consultant subverted IRS protocols and exploited broad search parameters to grab a wide swath of sensitive information.

In September 2020, a news outlet published a series of articles exposing intimate financial details of “Public Official A” that came from the stolen documentation. The revelation showed a glaring vulnerability in the agency’s security systems. It was a disturbing moment revealing that private information might not be as safe as the IRS would have us believe.

“The American people have every right to expect the utmost integrity from those who are granted access to sensitive taxpayer information through their employment with the IRS,” Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Trevor Nelson said in the release.

When the breach was first exposed, it prompted Republicans to accuse Democrats of weaponizing the IRS against conservatives, considering whose information was leaked. Given the agency’s past conduct, there are valid reasons to suspect skullduggery.

Renowned hedge fund manager Ken Griffin was also caught up in Littlejohn’s web, along with other private individuals. Griffin later filed a lawsuit against the IRS for failing to protect his sensitive records. In all, different news organizations published over 50 articles related to the information Littlejohn leaked in November 2020.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel assured the public that the agency would be implementing new protocols and protections intended to better protect people’s private information. Yet, the silence from the White House has fueled further suspicion and scrutiny about whether this might happen again.

The defendant is scheduled for sentencing on January 29, 2024. So far, his motive for revealing this information has not been established. Perhaps it was a political motivation – or maybe he got something else out of it. Either way, this incident has struck a devastating blow to the IRS' credibility and that of the Biden administration.