Former DOJ prosecutor charged with emailing Jack Smith report to herself

A former Justice Department prosecutor was indicted Wednesday for allegedly emailing secret records related to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump.

PortSt. Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, of St. Lucie, Fla., faces four charges stemming from her handling of Smith’s final report: 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.

The indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida alleges that Lineberger altered the electronic file names of government records to conceal the unauthorized forwarding of documents to personal email accounts.

At the time, he was serving as an Executive Assistant to the U.S. Attorney in the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS THE RELEASE OF THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE JACK SMITH REPORT

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon previously blocked public release of the volume of Smith’s report into the classified documents investigation involving Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in January 2025.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges in a post on X.

“This afternoon, a former executive assistant U.S. Attorney who supported Jack Smith’s politicized investigation of President Trump was charged with stealing classified investigative documents,” Patel wrote. “Carmen Lineberger allegedly emailed confidential material to her personal email address and disguised it as dessert recipes to hide them from records searches.”

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE MOVES TO DROP TRIAL OF MAR-A-LAGO STAFF IN TRUMP’S SECRET DOCUMENTS CASE

Former special counsel Jack Smith arrives to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the criminal investigation of President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2026. (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

Lineberger’s attorney declined to comment to Fox News Digital.

Smith previously filed an indictment against Trump, alleging that he illegally tried to overturn the 2020 election and improperly withheld classified national defense information.

The confidential documents case was later dismissed by Cannon, who ruled that Smith had been unlawfully appointed as special counsel.

DISCLOSURE OF THE SECOND VOLUME OF THE FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS SPECIAL COUNSEL’S REPORT TO THE CHAIRMEN OF THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE

Former President Donald Trump, in federal court in Fort Pierce, Fla., on March 14, 2024, asked his attorneys, Judge Aileen Cannon, to dismiss special counsel Jack Smith’s accusations regarding classified documents. (Lothar Speer/Unknown)

Prosecutors alleged that Lineberger concealed his actions by saving electronic copies of government records with misleading file names such as “chocolate cake recipe” and “bundle cake recipe” before sending them to personal Hotmail accounts.

According to the indictment, Lineberger obtained a copy of Smith’s report before Cannon ordered it sealed. Months later, he allegedly forwarded the report to his personal email account.

The indictment also alleges that Lineberger knew that transmitting this volume outside the Justice Department violated Cannon’s court order.

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Then-Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks about an unsealed indictment containing four felony charges against former President Donald Trump on Aug. 1, 2023, in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Lineberger pleaded not guilty when he appeared in federal court Wednesday.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for obstruction, three years in prison for concealing or removing public records, and up to one year in prison for each count of theft.