The IRS issued a uncommon apology to billionaire investor Ken Griffin for releasing his tax information to the press, in addition to to different taxpayers whose info was breached, the tax company mentioned in a assertion on Tuesday.

“The Inside Income Service sincerely apologizes to Mr. Kenneth Griffin and the hundreds of different People whose private info was leaked to the press,” the IRS mentioned.

The apology stems from the case of a former IRS contractor named Charles Littlejohn, who was sentenced earlier this yr to 5 years in jail for unauthorized disclosure of tax returns. Littlejohn had supplied tax return info for Griffin and different rich People to nonprofit information group ProPublica. 

In an announcement to CBS MoneyWatch, Griffin mentioned, “I’m grateful to my workforce for securing an final result that may higher defend American taxpayers and that may in the end profit all People.” 

Starting in 2021, ProPublica revealed a collection referred to as “The Secret IRS Information,” which included the small print of tax returns for hundreds of wealthy taxpayers, together with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk. The protection explored how a few of the wealthiest People decrease their taxes.

Littlejohn “violated the phrases of his contract and betrayed the belief that the American individuals place within the IRS to safeguard their delicate info,” the company mentioned in Tuesday’s assertion. “The IRS takes its tasks critically and acknowledges that it failed to stop Mr. Littlejohn’s felony conduct and illegal disclosure of Mr. Griffin’s confidential knowledge.”

Griffin, the founding father of the hedge fund Citadel, is price virtually $42 billion, making him the world’s thirty fourth richest particular person, in accordance with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The IRS’ apology comes after Griffin on Monday dropped a lawsuit in opposition to the company and the U.S. Treasury Division that he had filed in December over the breach. 

ProPublica did not instantly reply to a request for remark. 

The IRS mentioned it has made “substantial investments in its knowledge safety to strengthen its safeguarding of taxpayer info.”

It added, “The company believes that its actions and the decision of this case will end in a stronger and extra reliable course of for safeguarding the private info of all taxpayers.”