FBI Director Kash Patel announced that former Justice Department attorney Carmen Lineberger has been criminally charged for allegedly stealing and concealing confidential government records tied to former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump.
According to Patel, Lineberger is accused of transmitting sensitive investigative materials from the Trump probe to her personal email accounts while disguising the files as dessert recipes. “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,” Patel wrote in a post on X.
Patel added that Lineberger allegedly hid the records “disguising them as dessert recipes to conceal them from record searches.” The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida indicted Lineberger on multiple felony charges, including theft of government property, falsification of records connected to federal investigations, and concealment or removal of public records.
Federal prosecutors stated that Lineberger previously served as the Managing Assistant United States Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The indictment alleges she altered electronic filenames tied to sensitive Department of Justice records in late 2025 before sending them to personal email accounts. Among the materials allegedly involved were internal DOJ communications, a sealed DOJ memorandum, and portions of a report related to a criminal prosecution that had been ordered by a court to remain confidential.
Prosecutors said Lineberger renamed the files “chocolate cake recipe” and “bundt cake recipe” before transmitting them. The indictment further alleges she knew at least one transmission directly violated a court order and interfered with the proper administration of the underlying prosecution. Federal prosecutors also stated two of the felony charges specifically relate to her handling of Volume II of Smith’s final report, which detailed allegations involving Trump and associates connected to classified documents.
Patel sharply criticized the broader Trump investigation while announcing the charges. “This FBI will not hesitate to bring to account those who violated the trust of the American public in an investigation that should’ve never been brought to begin with,” Patel said.
