Prosecutor Carmen Lineberger Indicted on 4 Felony Counts Over Sealed Trump Probe Records
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · May 20
Prosecutor Carmen Lineberger Indicted on 4 Felony Counts Over Sealed Trump Probe Records
17 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · May 20
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, was indicted May 20 and pleaded not guilty in West Palm Beach after prosecutors accused her of removing sealed Justice Department records from Jack Smith’s Trump investigation.
The indictment says she emailed documents marked “INTERNAL DOJ USE ONLY” to her personal account and renamed them “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_recipe.pdf” to disguise them.
The records were copies of Volume II of Smith’s findings in the classified-documents case against Trump, a section a federal judge permanently barred from public release earlier this year.
Lineberger, a former managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, faces up to 20 years in prison on charges including falsifying records, concealing public records and theft of government property.
A special prosecutor from the Northern District of Florida will handle the case, which FBI Director Kash Patel cast as accountability for misconduct in a Trump investigation he said should never have been brought.
Why would a top prosecutor risk 20 years in prison for a report disguised as a 'chocolate cake recipe'?
Federal Prosecutor Faces Felony Charges for Alleged Theft of Sealed Special Counsel Report on Trump
Overview
This report examines the indictment of former prosecutor Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who is accused of violating a strict court order issued by District Judge Aileen Cannon. The order, made on January 21, 2025, barred the Department of Justice and its employees from sharing 'Volume II of Smith's report' outside the department. Judge Cannon had previously dismissed the related case, arguing that Special Counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed and that releasing the report would be unfair to Donald Trump and his co-defendants, who still enjoyed the presumption of innocence. Lineberger’s alleged actions highlight serious concerns about internal security and the handling of sensitive information within the DOJ.