Ex-prosecutor charged with sending to herself describe on Trump labeled probe
Mobile forensics
The U.S. Division of Justice label is sooner than a data convention, Monday, Might per chance well furthermore 4, 2026, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
veil caption
toggle caption
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
WASHINGTON — A ragged federal prosecutor in Florida sent to her interior most email fable a decided counsel describe from the investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of labeled paperwork despite a think’s suppose that it used to be to remain sealed, in step with an indictment made public on Wednesday.
Carmen Lineberger, who labored in the U.S. Licensed knowledgeable’s Living of enterprise for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce branch, faces charges including theft of authorities property and concealment of authorities records. She pleaded no longer guilty at some level of a court docket look in West Palm Seaside. Her attorney did no longer straight return messages looking out for observation.
Prosecutors declare that while serving as a Justice Division prosecutor closing December, Lineberger sent a duplicate of the describe that particular counsel Jack Smith and his crew had ready, recapping their investigation into Trump’s retention of high-secret paperwork at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Seaside, to her interior most email fable. On the time she did so, the indictment says, a judicial suppose barred Justice Division employees from sharing, transmitting or distributing copies of the describe.
The indictment alleges that Lineberger sought to veil her actions by altering the fashioned file name of the describe to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” sooner than saving the re-titled file on her authorities computer and emailing it to her interior most email fable with the sphere line of “Bundt_Cake_Recipe,pdf.”
A total lot of months earlier, in step with the indictment, Lineberger created on her authorities computer a tale consisting of parts of interior Justice Division messages, alongside with parts of an interior memorandum with header and footer markings that indicated it used to be for legit utilize easiest.
She sent the sphere subject to her interior most email address via an linked file titled “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,” prosecutors issue.
The indictment does no longer level to why Lineberger may presumably well well fair get wanted to ship the describe, which prosecutors issue she had access to in her knowledgeable ability as a prosecutor, to her hang email fable.
The quantity detailing Smith’s findings in a prison investigation once considered as posing major fair agonize to Trump has never been considered by the general public. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sided with Trump’s legal professionals, who argued that releasing the describe may presumably well well be unfairly prejudicial after Smith abandoned the case following Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Lineberger labored in the same judicial district the set Smith’s case against Trump used to be filed. That case accused Trump of illegally conserving on the Mar-a-Lago property dozens of labeled records from his first duration of time and obstructing authorities efforts to score them motivate.
“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 stated in an announcement posted on X.
