A former managing assistant US attorney in the Southern District of Florida has been charged with emailing herself the most sought-after, confidential Justice Department records in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump, masquerading them as dessert recipes.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, was charged with two counts of theft of government money or property, valued less than $1,000. She entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege Lineberger received an email on her Justice Department account in January 2025 with copies of a report entitled “Volume II Report” that was related to a pending investigation. The Volume II report was the final finding of Smith’s investigation of Trump and his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Lineberger was in a supervisory role in the Southern District of Florida US Attorney’s Office, based in Fort Pierce, during the time of the investigation and prosecution of Trump.
While she was not on the special counsel team, the US Attorney’s Office played a supporting role to some parts of Smith’s work, including before the special counsel was appointed and Trump’s personal area of his Mar-a-Lago resort were searched in 2022.
