The Justice Department has charged a former prosecutor with stealing records related to the special counsel investigation of Donald J. Trump’s mishandling of classified documents.
In a nine-page grand jury indictment, the department accused Carmen Lineberger, the former managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, Fla., where Mr. Trump’s classified documents case was handled, of defying a Jan. 21, 2025, order by Judge Aileen M. Cannon sealing a potentially damning final report by Jack Smith, the special counsel.
Prosecutors said Ms. Lineberger emailed an internal memorandum and a report — an apparent reference to the report by Mr. Smith — to a personal address, concealing the files’ content by naming them “chocolate cake recipe” and “bundt cake recipe.” The emails were sent in September and December of last year. The indictment does not accuse her of sharing the files with anyone.
The move to prosecute Ms. Lineberger provided another twist in a politically freighted case that appeared to have ended after Judge Cannon dismissed the charges against Mr. Trump and federal prosecutors dropped their bid to reinstate them as he headed back to the White House.
The indictment comes as the president has tightened his grip on the Justice Department, using it to seek retribution against his perceived enemies and purging it of prosecutors connected to Mr. Smith’s office. The department has fired dozens of lawyers who worked on Mr. Trump’s classified documents case, in addition to his Jan. 6 case and other prominent Jan. 6-related cases — for example, prosecuting the far-right extremist groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
The president has also moved to reward political allies who were previously investigated or prosecuted. The department announced this week that it would create a $1.8 billion fund to dole out payments to his political allies, and a component of that deal would drop tax audits of Mr. Trump, his family and his businesses.
Ms. Lineberger was arraigned in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, the Justice Department said. She was charged on Tuesday with a major felony — destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations — that is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The charge was based on the act of changing the names of the two files. She was also charged with two counts of theft of government property, as well as a count of concealment, removal or mutilation of public records.
Mr. Smith’s final report on the classified documents case is one of the most significant pieces of work from his time as special counsel to remain under seal. Two watchdog groups have been in court for months trying to make it public, but lawyers for Mr. Trump and the Justice Department have said it should stay secret.
The investigation of Ms. Lineberger was led by Christie S. Utt, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Florida who was appointed as a special prosecutor “to avoid conflicts of interest,” according to the Justice Department.
Seamus Hughes and Alan Feuer contributed reporting.