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February 25, 2020

Man Pleads Guilty to Charges Related to Attempting to Obtain President's Tax Returns

On December 16, 2019, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Justin Hiemstra was sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts arising from his using someone else's username to access a school computer and attempting to obtain the tax returns of President Donald Trump without permission from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Hiemstra and codefendant Andrew Harris were charged with the offenses on July 17, 2019, and pled guilty on August 6, 2019.

According to court documents, Hiemstra and Harris, two students at Haverford College, went to the school's computer lab and attempted to obtain President Trump's tax returns via the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) website. Hiemstra and Harris opened a false FAFSA application in the name of a member of the Trump family and found that someone else had already obtained a Federal Student Aid identification (FSA-ID) for President Trump and identification password. In general, before beginning one's very first FAFSA application, an individual registers with the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA Office). Once registered, the individual obtains a unique identifier, known as a FSA-ID, essentially the equivalent of a username. Once the individual has activated the FSA-ID, the individual can complete the first FAFSA application and any subsequent applications through the FAFSA website.

In order to reset the identification password, Hiemstra and Harris were required to answer challenge questions that the other person had originally created when first setting up the FSA-ID and password. They were able to do so and reset the password. Using President Trump's personal identifiers, including his Social Security Number and date of birth, Hiemstra and Harris unsuccessfully attempted to import President Trump's Federal tax information into the false FAFSA application that they had initiated in the name of a Trump family member.

When questioned by law enforcement, Hiemstra stated that credentials from two other Haverford College students were used to access the two computers that he and Harris used.

Hiemstra was sentenced to two years on each of two counts, to run concurrently, and probation. He was further ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and to pay a $50.00 special assessment.

    Source:  The facts in this case narrative come from the following publicly available documents: E.D. Pa. Information filed July 17, 2019; E.D. Pa. Gov. Plea Memorandum filed Aug. 5, 2019; E.D. Pa. Crim. Dockets as of Aug. 8, 2019; and E.D. Pa. Judgment filed Dec. 18, 2019.