Former Prosecutor Indicted for Allegedly Misusing Classified Documents

A former prosecutor with the Justice Department was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly emailing classified materials related to the investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into President Donald Trump.

Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, from Port St. Lucie, Florida, has been charged with several offenses, including one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count for concealing government records, and two misdemeanor charges for theft of government property valued under $1,000.

According to court documents from the Southern District of Florida, she is accused of modifying file names of government records to mask the unauthorized sending of documents to her personal email accounts. At that time, Lineberger was serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Fort Pierce branch of the Southern District of Florida.

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Previously, U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon had blocked the publication of parts of Smith’s report related to a January 2025 inquiry into classified documents associated with Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the charges on social media, stating, “This afternoon, the former chief assistant U.S. attorney who backed Jack Smith’s politically charged investigation into President Trump was indicted for stealing classified investigative documents. Carmen Lineberger reportedly sent confidential material disguised as dessert recipes to her personal email to evade records searches.”

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Lineberger’s attorney chose not to comment on the matter. Smith, during his career, took legal action against Trump, accusing him of attempting to illegally overturn the 2020 election and mishandling classified national defense information. It’s worth noting that Cannon dismissed the classified documents case, ruling that Smith’s appointment as special prosecutor was improper.

Prosecutors allege that Lineberger concealed her actions by saving electronic copies of government records under misleading file names like “Chocolate Cake Recipe” and “Bundt Cake Recipe,” subsequently sending them to her personal Hotmail email account. The indictment claims she received Smith’s report before it was sealed and later forwarded it to her private email.

Furthermore, the indictment mentions that Lineberger was aware that transmitting these documents outside the Department of Justice was a violation of a court order issued by Judge Cannon.

During her court appearance on Wednesday, Lineberger pleaded not guilty. If found guilty, she could face a potential two decades in prison for the obstruction charge, alongside three years for concealing public records, and up to one year for each theft charge.