IRS issues rare apology to billionaire Ken Griffin over tax records breach
IRS apologized to billionaire Ken Griffin and others for breaching their tax records, caused by former contractor Charles Littlejohn. Griffin dropped lawsuit.
On this day, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a formal apology to billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin and numerous other American taxpayers for the unauthorized release of their tax records to the press. The rare apology comes after a former IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally disclosing tax returns, including Griffin's, to the nonprofit news organization ProPublica.
Starting in 2021, ProPublica began publishing a series titled "The Secret IRS Files," which divulged the tax details of thousands of affluent taxpayers, such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, and examined how some of the wealthiest individuals minimize their taxes. Littlejohn's actions were a clear violation of his contract and the trust that the American people place in the IRS to safeguard their sensitive information.
Griffin's Response
Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, worth nearly $42 billion, subsequently expressed his gratitude to his team for securing an outcome that will improve the protection of American taxpayers, ultimately benefiting all Americans. He dropped a lawsuit against the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department that he had filed in December over the breach. The apology from the IRS has seemingly contributed to his decision to drop the lawsuit.
The IRS has emphasized its commitment to fortifying its data security to better protect taxpayer information. It has acknowledged its failure to prevent Littlejohn's criminal conduct and illegal disclosure of Griffin's confidential data, and it has made substantial investments in data security to enhance its safeguarding of taxpayer information. The agency believes that these actions will lead to a more robust and trustworthy process for protecting the personal information of all taxpayers.
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