Current:Home > InvestIRS apologizes to billionaire Ken Griffin for leaking his tax records -WealthSphere Pro
IRS apologizes to billionaire Ken Griffin for leaking his tax records
View
Date:2025-04-16 07:46:57
The IRS issued a rare apology to billionaire investor Ken Griffin for releasing his tax records to the press, as well as to other taxpayers whose information was breached, the tax agency said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The Internal Revenue Service sincerely apologizes to Mr. Kenneth Griffin and the thousands of other Americans whose personal information was leaked to the press," the IRS said.
The apology stems from the case of a former IRS contractor named Charles Littlejohn, who was sentenced earlier this year to five years in prison for unauthorized disclosure of tax returns. Littlejohn had provided tax return information for Griffin and other wealthy Americans to nonprofit news organization ProPublica.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Griffin said, "I am grateful to my team for securing an outcome that will better protect American taxpayers and that will ultimately benefit all Americans."
Beginning in 2021, ProPublica published a series called "The Secret IRS Files," which included the details of tax returns for thousands of rich taxpayers, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk. The coverage explored how some of the wealthiest Americans minimize their taxes.
Littlejohn "violated the terms of his contract and betrayed the trust that the American people place in the IRS to safeguard their sensitive information," the agency said in Tuesday's statement. "The IRS takes its responsibilities seriously and acknowledges that it failed to prevent Mr. Littlejohn's criminal conduct and unlawful disclosure of Mr. Griffin's confidential data."
Griffin, the founder of the hedge fund Citadel, is worth almost $42 billion, making him the world's 34th richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The IRS' apology comes after Griffin on Monday dropped a lawsuit against the agency and the U.S. Treasury Department that he had filed in December over the breach.
"As we reported from the first day the series appeared, we didn't know the identity of the source who provided this trove of IRS files," a spokesperson for ProPublica told CBS MoneyWatch. "After careful deliberation, ProPublica published select, newsworthy tax details of some of the richest Americans to inform the debate about the fairness of our tax system. These stories clearly served the public interest."
The IRS said it has made "substantial investments in its data security to strengthen its safeguarding of taxpayer information."
It added, "The agency believes that its actions and the resolution of this case will result in a stronger and more trustworthy process for safeguarding the personal information of all taxpayers."
- In:
- IRS
- ProPublica
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
TwitterveryGood! (625)
Related
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Regulatory costs account for half of the price of new condos in Hawaii, university report finds
- JetBlue and Spirit abandon their decision to merge after it was blocked by a judge
- Ted Lasso's Brendan Hunt and Fiancée Shannon Nelson Welcome Baby No. 2
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Luann de Lesseps and Mary-Kate Olsen's Ex Olivier Sarkozy Grab Lunch in NYC
- What to know about Alabama’s fast-tracked legislation to protect in vitro fertilization clinics
- Which Super Tuesday states have uncommitted on the ballot? The protest voting option against Biden is spreading.
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- A woman wins $3.8 million verdict after SWAT team searches wrong home based on Find My iPhone app
Ranking
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- In North Carolina, primary voters choosing candidates to succeed term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper
- Bitcoin bounces to an all-time high less than two years after FTX scandal clobbered crypto
- 'Real horsepower': See video of runaway horses galloping down Ohio highway
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- US Rep. Steve Womack aims to fend off primary challenge from Arkansas state lawmaker
- Pop-Tarts asks Taylor Swift to release Chiefs treats recipe
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Cryptocurrency Market Historical Bull Market Review
Recommendation
The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
JetBlue scraps $3.8 billion deal to buy Spirit Airlines
'He just punched me': Video shows combative arrest of Philadelphia LGBTQ official, husband
Vegans swear by nutritional yeast. What is it?
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Californians to vote on measure governor says he needs to tackle homelessness crisis
JetBlue and Spirit abandon their decision to merge after it was blocked by a judge
5-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey kills and guts a moose that got entangled with his dog team