Ex-DOJ Prosecutor Indicted For Emailing Sealed Trump Files Report To Personal Account
Carmen Lineberger was indicted May 19 and arraigned May 20 in West Palm Beach on charges that she emailed a sealed portion of special counsel Jack Smith's report from a DOJ account to her personal email.[1]
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida charged Lineberger with one felony count of obstruction, one felony count of concealing government records and two misdemeanor counts of theft of government property.[2] Prosecutors say she downloaded Smith's sealed "Volume II" in December 2025, renamed it "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" and emailed it from her DOJ account to a personal Hotmail address.[3] An earlier September 2025 transfer allegedly involved portions of an internal DOJ memorandum saved as "Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf" and sent to her personal account.[1]
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered that volume sealed in January 2025 and barred its release or sharing.[3] The sealed volume related to Smith's investigation of classified documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, and the underlying case was later dismissed after legal challenges and events following the 2024 election.[4]
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the FBI "will not hesitate" to hold violators accountable and said the underlying probe "should've never been brought to begin with." NPR Lineberger, 62, pleaded not guilty at her May 20 arraignment in West Palm Beach.[2]
Show source details & analysis (5 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- The indictment was returned Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and Carmen Lineberger was arraigned Wednesday, May 20, 2026, where she pleaded not guilty.
- The sealed document prosecutors say she sent was Jack Smith's classified-documents 'Volume II' report, which U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had barred from being released or shared.
- Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida charged Lineberger, 62, with one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count of concealing government records and two misdemeanor counts of theft of government property valued under $1,000.
- Lineberger was serving as the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida when the alleged transmissions occurred.
- Prosecutors allege she downloaded Volume II in December 2025, renamed it 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,' and emailed it from her DOJ account to her personal Hotmail account, and that an earlier September 2025 transfer involved portions of an internal DOJ memorandum saved as 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf' and sent to herself (Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf).
- U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the relevant volume sealed in January 2025, and the underlying Mar‑a‑Lago classified-documents case was later dismissed or abandoned after subsequent legal rulings and following the 2024 election developments.
- FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that the FBI “will not hesitate” to hold violators accountable and said the underlying investigation “should've never been brought to begin with.”
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
May 21, 2026
1:58 PM
Ex-DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing copy of Smith report on Trump classified docs probe
New information:
- The Associated Press report specifies that the indictment was made public on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, and that Carmen Lineberger appeared in court in West Palm Beach that day and pleaded not guilty.
- The article clarifies that Lineberger was still serving as a Justice Department prosecutor in December 2025 when she allegedly emailed the sealed Jack Smith report to her personal email account, despite an existing judicial order barring such sharing.
- The piece adds narrative detail on how Lineberger allegedly concealed the transmission by renaming the report "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" and previously sending internal DOJ materials labeled "Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf" to her personal account.
- The article reiterates that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had ordered the relevant volume of Smith's report sealed and notes Smith abandoned the Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case after Trump's 2024 election victory, framing the context of the sealed report.
- The AP version quotes FBI Director Kash Patel saying on X that the FBI "will not hesitate" to hold violators accountable and asserting the underlying investigation "should've never been brought to begin with," underscoring how the bureau is publicly characterizing the case.
6:39 AM
Ex-prosecutor charged with sending to herself report on Trump classified probe
New information:
- The NPR/AP piece confirms that Carmen Lineberger appeared in court in West Palm Beach and pleaded not guilty to the federal charges; the appearance occurred before the article published on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
- The article specifies that Lineberger worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce branch.
- It reiterates that she emailed Jack Smith's sealed report on Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case from her DOJ account to her personal email in December 2025, after renaming the file 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf', and that an earlier internal DOJ memorandum had been sent similarly under the filename 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf'.
- The story notes that the volume of Jack Smith's report she allegedly sent has never been released publicly because Judge Aileen Cannon ordered it sealed and later sided with Trump's lawyers in keeping it from public view after Smith dropped the case following Trump's 2024 election victory.
- The article includes a new on-the-record statement from FBI Director Kash Patel on X, saying the 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."
3:53 AM
Former DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing confidential Jack Smith investigation documents about Trump
New information:
- Article states that on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida charged Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, with one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count of concealing government records, and two misdemeanor counts of theft of government property valued at less than $1,000.
- Article specifies Lineberger's role at the time of the alleged conduct as Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
- The indictment alleges she altered electronic filenames of the government records and emailed them to her personal Hotmail accounts, disguising them as 'chocolate cake recipe' and 'bundt cake recipe' files.
- The article clarifies that she received a copy of Jack Smith's report before Judge Aileen Cannon ordered it sealed in January 2025, and that she later forwarded the sealed volume to her personal email, allegedly knowing this violated Cannon's order.
- FBI Director Kash Patel publicly announced the charges in a post on X, describing the documents as 'confidential investigation documents' from Smith's probe and asserting she disguised them as dessert recipes to evade records searches.
- The article reiterates that Cannon had blocked public release of the volume of Smith's report related to the classified-documents investigation involving Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in January 2025 and notes that the underlying classified-documents case was later dismissed after Cannon ruled Smith was unlawfully appointed.
May 20, 2026
10:09 PM
Ex-prosecutor allegedly stole secret report on Trump, named file "Bundt Cake Recipe"
New information:
- Article specifies the indictment was returned Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and that Carmen Lineberger was arraigned Wednesday, May 20, 2026, where she pleaded not guilty.
- It clarifies that the sealed document was Jack Smith's classified-documents 'Volume II' report, which Judge Aileen Cannon had barred Merrick Garland 'or his successor(s)' from releasing or sharing.
- The piece details that Lineberger allegedly downloaded Volume II in December 2025, renamed it 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,' and emailed it from her DOJ account to her personal account.
- It further notes a separate September 2025 incident in which Lineberger allegedly downloaded portions of an internal DOJ memorandum, saved it as 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,' and emailed it to herself.
- The article explains Cannon's January 2025 order blocking release of Volume II and recaps that the underlying Trump Mar-a-Lago case was later dismissed after Supreme Court immunity rulings and Trump's return to office.