A former prosecutor for the Justice Department, Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, from Port St. Lucie, Florida, faces legal charges. She allegedly emailed confidential records connected to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump.

Lineberger is charged with four offenses. These include one count of obstruction of justice, one count of concealing government records, and two counts of theft of government property valued at less than $1,000.

The indictment, filed in the Southern District of Florida, explains that Lineberger allegedly altered electronic file names of government records. This was done to disguise unauthorized transmissions to her personal email accounts. During this period, she served as the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney at the Fort Pierce branch for the Southern District of Florida.

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Jack Smith, the former special counsel, arrived for a closed-door deposition at the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 17, 2025. (Getty Images)

Previously, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon blocked the public release of the section of Smith’s report related to the investigation of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in January 2025.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges, stating, “This afternoon, a former managing assistant U.S. Attorney who supported Jack Smith’s politicized investigation of President Trump has been charged with stealing the confidential investigation documents.” He further alleged that Lineberger had disguised the confidential material as dessert recipes to avoid detection.

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Former special counsel Jack Smith arrives to testify at the House Judiciary Committee about his criminal investigation into President Donald Trump on Jan. 22, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

An attorney for Lineberger declined to comment on the situation. Previously, indictments against Trump were brought by Smith, which alleged illegal attempts to reverse the 2020 election result and improper handling of classified national defense information. The case was dismissed by Cannon, as she found Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unlawful.

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Former President Donald Trump appeared in federal court in Fort Pierce, Fla., on March 14, 2024, where his lawyers sought to dismiss Smith’s charges related to classified documents. (Lothar Speer/Unknown)

Prosecutors allege that Lineberger concealed her actions by saving government records under misleading file names, such as “chocolate cake recipe” and “bundt cake recipe,” which were then emailed to personal Hotmail accounts.

The indictment states Lineberger received a copy of Smith’s report before the court sealed it. Months later, she is accused of forwarding it to her personal email. The document further alleges that Lineberger was aware that transmitting the report outside the Department of Justice violated the court order.

During her appearance in federal court, Lineberger entered a not-guilty plea. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years for obstruction, three years for concealment or removal of public records, and one year for each theft count.