Former Justice Department Prosecutor Charged Over Handling of Confidential Records

A former prosecutor from the Justice Department, Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, has been charged with offenses related to confidential records linked to an investigation involving former President Donald Trump. The charges, filed in the Southern District of Florida, include one count of obstruction of justice, one count of concealing government records, and two counts of theft of government property valued at less than $1,000.

Lineberger, who was 62 years old and resided in Port St. Lucie, Florida, faced allegations of altering electronic file names to hide unauthorized transmissions to her personal email accounts. At the time of these actions, she was serving as the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

“This afternoon, a former managing assistant U.S. Attorney who supported Jack Smith’s politicized investigation of President Trump has been charged with stealing the confidential investigation documents,” stated FBI Director Kash Patel in a post. He noted that Lineberger disguised the documents as dessert recipes to circumvent record searches.

The case is tied to the investigation led by former special counsel Jack Smith into allegations involving Trump. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had previously blocked the public release of a volume of Smith’s report concerning classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Lineberger’s attorney has not provided any comments on the charges. Allegedly, she received a copy of Smith’s report before Judge Cannon ordered it sealed and later sent this report to her personal email account, knowing this violated the court order.

If convicted, Lineberger could face significant prison time: up to 20 years for obstruction, three years for concealment or removal of public records, and one year for each count of theft.