A former Department of Justice prosecutor is facing felony charges after allegedly emailing herself a sealed Biden-era investigative report concerning Donald Trump and attempting to disguise the documents as cake recipes, federal authorities announced on Wednesday.
Details of the Charges
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, who served as a managing assistant US attorney in Florida, has been indicted on two counts of theft of government money or property, along with charges related to her alleged alteration of the documents. According to the indictment, in early 2025, Lineberger received a copy of an internal report “related to a pending federal criminal investigation.” She later sent the report from her Department of Justice email inbox to her personal email account in December 2025. The report was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where she was employed.
Attempt to Conceal the Document
Prosecutors allege that Lineberger sought to hide evidence of the document by renaming it “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” before saving it to her government-issued computer. The indictment did not provide further details about the nature of the report but described it as being blocked from public release under an order from US District Judge Aileen M Cannon.
Judge Cannon, whom Trump has previously praised as a “model of what a judge should be,” barred former DoJ special counsel Jack Smith from discussing or sharing any findings from his investigation into Trump’s alleged mishandling of White House documents at the end of his first term.
Background of the Investigation
Smith also led a separate investigation into Trump’s alleged plot to obstruct the 2020 election. Both cases were dropped after Trump secured a second term, as Justice Department policy protects sitting presidents from criminal prosecution. In a January court filing, federal prosecutors condemned Smith’s report, stating, “The illicit product of an unlawful investigation and prosecution belongs in the dustbin of history.”
Meanwhile, advocacy groups have sought to unseal the report through court appeals. It remains unclear why Lineberger sent the report to herself. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
