Ex-DOJ Prosecutor Indicted For Emailing Sealed Trump Files Report To Personal Account
Former Justice Department prosecutor Carmen Lineberger was indicted Tuesday, May 19, 2026, on federal charges for allegedly emailing a sealed Jack Smith report to her personal account in the Southern District of Florida.[1]
Federal prosecutors charged her with one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count of concealing government records, and two misdemeanor counts of theft of government property, the indictment says.[2] Prosecutors allege Lineberger downloaded Smith's classified-documents "Volume II" in December 2025, renamed it 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,' and emailed it from her DOJ account to a personal Hotmail address.[1] She was arraigned Wednesday, May 20, 2026, and pleaded not guilty, court records show.[1]
Judge Aileen Cannon ordered in January 2025 that Volume II be sealed, blocking the Justice Department from releasing or sharing the document.[1] That volume related to Special Counsel Jack Smith's classified-documents investigation of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, a probe that was later dismissed after court rulings over Smith's appointment and Supreme Court immunity decisions.[2]
The indictment also says Lineberger in September 2025 downloaded parts of an internal DOJ memorandum, renamed it 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,' and emailed it to herself.[1] FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on X and said prosecutors believe the files were disguised as dessert recipes to evade records searches.[2] Prosecutors say Lineberger was the managing assistant U.S. attorney in the Fort Pierce office during the alleged conduct.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- Carmen Lineberger was indicted Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and arraigned Wednesday, May 20, 2026, when she pleaded not guilty (Carmen Lineberger).
- Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida charged Lineberger on May 20, 2026, 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 (Southern District of Florida).
- At the time of the alleged conduct, Lineberger 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 (Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney).
- Prosecutors allege she downloaded Jack Smith's classified-documents "Volume II" report in December 2025, renamed it 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf,' and emailed it from her DOJ account to her personal email (Volume II).
- The indictment alleges a separate September 2025 incident in which she downloaded portions of an internal DOJ memorandum, saved it as 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,' and emailed it to herself (Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf).
- Prosecutors say she altered electronic filenames and emailed the government records to her personal Hotmail accounts, disguising them as 'chocolate cake recipe' and 'bundt cake recipe' to evade records searches (Hotmail accounts).
- FBI Director Kash Patel posted the charges on X, describing the materials as 'confidential investigation documents' from Smith's probe and asserting they were disguised as dessert recipes (Kash Patel).
- Judge Aileen Cannon ordered in January 2025 that Volume II be sealed, and reports note the underlying Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case was later dismissed after rulings involving Smith's appointment and Supreme Court immunity decisions (Judge Aileen Cannon).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
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- 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.
- 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.