Overview
- A grand jury indictment unsealed May 20 charged Carmen Mercedes Lineberger with stealing, altering and concealing government records after she pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance.
- Prosecutors allege Lineberger renamed sealed internal files to titles like “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and emailed them from her DOJ account to personal Hotmail and Gmail addresses in late 2025.
- The materials reportedly included “Volume II,” the classified-documents portion of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report that a federal judge ordered kept under seal.
- Charges filed in the Northern District of Florida include theft of government property, destruction or falsification of records, and concealment or removal of public records, carrying potential prison terms if she is convicted.
- The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI are investigating and prosecutors do not allege in the indictment that Lineberger shared the files beyond her personal accounts or state a motive.