A former federal prosecutor, Carmen Lineberger, has been indicted for sending a sealed special counsel report on Trump to her personal email. She faces charges of theft of government property and concealment of government records.
Key points
Carmen Lineberger sent a sealed report to her personal email
The report was part of the Trump classified documents investigation
She faces charges of theft and concealment of government records
Lineberger pleaded not guilty in court
Mentioned in this story
Carmen LinebergerDonald TrumpU.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is before a news conference, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington.
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is before a news conference, Monday, May 4, 2026, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
WASHINGTON — A former federal prosecutor in Florida sent to her personal email account a special counsel report from the investigation into President Donald Trump's hoarding of classified documents despite a judge's order that it was to remain sealed, according to an indictment made public on Wednesday.
Carmen Lineberger, who worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce branch, faces charges including theft of government property and concealment of government records. She pleaded not guilty during a court appearance in West Palm Beach. Her attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Prosecutors allege that while serving as a Justice Department prosecutor last December, Lineberger sent a copy of the report that special counsel Jack Smith and his team had prepared, recapping their investigation into Trump's retention of top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, to her personal email account. At the time she did so, the indictment says, a judicial order barred Justice Department employees from sharing, transmitting or distributing copies of the report.
Q&A
What charges does Carmen Lineberger face?
Carmen Lineberger faces charges of theft of government property and concealment of government records.
What was the content of the report Lineberger sent to herself?
The report was related to the investigation into President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents.
What was the legal status of the report Lineberger sent?
The report was ordered to remain sealed by a judge, making its unauthorized transmission a legal violation.
What was Lineberger's response to the charges?
Carmen Lineberger pleaded not guilty during her court appearance in West Palm Beach.
See every story in News — including breaking news and analysis.
The indictment alleges that Lineberger sought to conceal her actions by altering the original file name of the report to "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" before saving the re-titled file on her government computer and emailing it to her personal email account with the subject line of "Bundt_Cake_Recipe,pdf."
Several months earlier, according to the indictment, Lineberger created on her government computer a document consisting of portions of internal Justice Department messages, along with portions of an internal memorandum with header and footer markings that indicated it was for official use only.
She sent the material to her personal email address via an attached file titled "Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf," prosecutors say.
The indictment does not explain why Lineberger may have wanted to send the report, which prosecutors say she had access to in her professional capacity as a prosecutor, to her own email account.
The volume detailing Smith's findings in a criminal investigation once seen as posing significant legal peril to Trump has never been seen by the public. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sided with Trump's lawyers, who argued that releasing the report would be unfairly prejudicial after Smith abandoned the case following Trump's 2024 election victory.
Lineberger worked in the same judicial district where Smith's case against Trump was filed. That case accused Trump of illegally retaining at the Mar-a-Lago property dozens of classified records from his first term and obstructing government efforts to get them back.
"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," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement posted on X.
