A Louisiana private investigator tried to use a federal student loan application tool to illegally obtain Donald Trump's tax returns last September, according to the publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
Jordan Hamlett, 31, was charged with false representation of a social security number. He was arrested in November in connection with the case and released on the condition that he be monitored.
The records allege that Hamlett "unlawfully attempted to obtain Trump's federal tax information from the U.S. Department of Education and IRS using the web application Federal Student Aid — Datashare."
The application allows students to fill out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, with ease. The IRS shut down the tool in March temporarily as "a precautionary step following concerns that information from the tool could potentially be misused by identity thieves."
Trump during the campaign said he would release his tax returns after they were audited but backpedaled after Election Day.
Hamlett met with FBI agents in October and "immediately volunteered that he had committed the crime and he even sounded proud of what he had done."
His attorney, Michael Fiser, told Politico that Hamlett "looks forward to presenting his case and motives to a jury of 12 citizens to let them decide whether any offense was committed."
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