WASHINGTON— A former federal prosecutor in Florida was charged with stealing a sealed special counsel report on the investigation into President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents, the Justice Department said.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who managed the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, faces a four-count federal indictment including charges of theft of government property and concealment of government records, according to the indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege that while still serving as a Justice Department prosecutor, Lineberger downloaded a copy of the sealed volume of the report prepared by then-Special Counsel Jack Smith and emailed it to her personal account in late 2024 or early 2025. She allegedly disguised the file by renaming it "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" before transmitting it.
The report summarized Smith's investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach following the end of his first term in January 2021. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversaw the now-defunct case in the Southern District of Florida, ordered the volume to remain sealed. Smith abandoned the prosecution after Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election.
Lineberger pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, court records show. Her attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The indictment does not specify Lineberger's alleged motive for obtaining the report, to which she had access in her professional capacity. It states she worked in the same judicial district where the Trump classified documents case was filed.
The charges were brought by federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Florida. Lineberger is no longer employed by the Justice Department.
The development comes more than a year after the classified documents probe against Trump concluded without a trial. The original case had accused Trump of illegally retaining dozens of classified records and obstructing efforts to recover them. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
Details about the full scope of materials Lineberger allegedly accessed or any further dissemination remain unclear. The sealed Smith report volume has not been released publicly.
Lineberger, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, could face significant prison time if convicted on the felony counts. The case is assigned to the Southern District of Florida.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment beyond the public filings.
