A former Department of Justice prosecutor from Florida is charged with allegedly transmitting sealed government records, including documents tied to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, faces multiple criminal charges and up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Lineberger previously worked on Smith’s probe into Trump. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Lineberger allegedly emailed secret documents labeled “INTERNAL DOJ USE ONLY” to her personal email in late 2025.
She changed the file titles to: “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_recipe.pdf.”
Lineberger appeared in federal court on May 20 for her arraignment before Southern District of Florida Chief United States Magistrate Judge William Matthewman in West Palm Beach. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on social media, writing, “This FBI will not hesitate to bring to account those who violated the trust of the American public in an investigation that should’ve never been brought to begin with.”
Where is Port St. Lucie, Florida?
At the time of the offenses, Lineberger served as the Managing Assistant United States Attorney (MAUSA) of the Fort Pierce branch of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
What documents are involved in Carmen Mercedes Lineberger case?
According to USA TODAY, the documents were copies of Volume II of Jack Smith’s findings from the classified documents investigation into Trump. While Volume I of the findings was released publicly, the summary of Volume II has not been made public, with Politico reporting that it discusses classified documents housed at Mar-a-Lago.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon permanently barred its release earlier in 2026.
“As to the DOJ report, the indictment further alleges the defendant acted knowing that her transmission of the record outside DOJ directly violated the court order and impaired the proper administration of the underlying criminal prosecution,” the release states.
Why did Lineberger allegedly send herself classified files?
As of May 21, the DOJ has not released any motive or details behind why Lineberger sent herself these emails.
What is Carmen Mercedes Lineberger charged with?
Lineberger faces one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count of concealing government records, and two misdemeanor counts of stealing government property valued at less than $1,000. If convicted, Lineberger faces up to twenty years’ imprisonment.
Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida prosecutor charged after emailing Trump reports to herself