Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is suing Booz Allen Hamilton in federal court after his tax returns were leaked along with those of other wealthy Americans, including President Trump and Elon Musk.
Why it matters: The tech and management consulting firm is already facing retribution from the Trump administration, which cancelled all of its contracts with the Treasury Department in January.
- Charles Littlejohn, who performed IRS contract work through Booz Allen, pleaded guilty to unauthorized disclosure of tax information in 2023 and was sentenced to five years in prison.
- His leaks were linked to a bombshell New York Times story in 2020 on Trump's tax payments, as well as a ProPublica report in 2021 about a cache of tax documents from Musk, Jeff Bezos, Michael Bloomberg and others.
- Spokespeople for Booz Allen Hamilton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Driving the news: Scott's 25-page complaint, filed in the Middle District of Florida, accuses Booz Allen of a "systemic failure to safeguard confidential taxpayer information."
- "The unlawful disclosure of Plaintiff's tax return information was not merely the result of an isolated act. It was enabled by systemic safeguard failures and negligent supervision within the contractor framework under which Booz Allen operated," the lawsuit alleges.
- Scott is seeking various forms of compensation, including "punitive damages" against Booz Allen "for conduct that was willful, malicious, reckless, or demonstrated a conscious disregard" for his rights.
Flashback: Scott delivered a victim impact statement at Littlejohn's sentencing hearing in 2024, calling his plea deal "cynical."
- "Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Ken Griffin, the list is long. All attacked for political purposes. Because they are wealthy or Republican or both," he said.
