A former Justice Department prosecutor has been charged with unlawfully handling and emailing confidential records linked to a federal investigation into former President Donald Trump. Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, faces four criminal counts, including obstruction of justice and concealment of government records, according to an indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida.
The indictment alleges that Lineberger altered electronic file names of government records to hide unauthorized transmissions to her personal email accounts. At the time, she was the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Prosecutors say Lineberger received a copy of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report before a court order sealed it. She allegedly forwarded the report to her personal email account months later, disguising the files as recipes to evade record searches. The indictment states she knew transmitting the documents outside the Department of Justice violated a court order issued by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on X, formerly Twitter, describing Lineberger as supporting a “politicized investigation.” Patel added that she emailed the documents to her Hotmail account, using misleading file names such as “chocolate cake recipe.”
Lineberger pleaded not guilty during her federal court appearance Wednesday. If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 20 years in prison for obstruction, three years for concealing or removing public records, and up to one year for each theft charge.
The case comes amid ongoing legal battles over the release of Smith’s report, with a federal judge previously blocking its public disclosure. The Justice Department has also moved to dismiss charges against other individuals connected to the Trump classified documents case.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
