Former Trump probe prosecutor indicted over secret document smuggling scheme
(Former federal prosecutor Carmen Lineberger allegedly sent sealed report on Trump’s classified documents case to her personal e-mail – disguised as cake recipes .pdf files)
A former federal prosecutor tied to special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents investigation into President Donald Trump has been indicted on multiple federal charges after prosecutors alleged she secretly transferred sealed government records to her personal e-mail accounts while working for the Justice Department.
Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was charged in federal court with obstruction-related offenses, concealment of government records and theft of government property. Investigators allege Lineberger e-mailed confidential Justice Department files — including portions of Smith’s unreleased report on the Trump classified documents case — to herself while disguising the files with names such as “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_recipe.pdf.”
According to the indictment, the records were marked “INTERNAL DOJ USE ONLY” and included material connected to the federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The unreleased volume of Smith’s final report had previously been sealed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who barred its public distribution.
Federal prosecutors claim Lineberger knowingly violated court restrictions and attempted to conceal the transfers by renaming the files before sending them to personal e-mail accounts. Authorities have not publicly stated a motive for her actions.
Lineberger, who previously managed the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, pleaded not guilty during a court appearance in West Palm Beach. If convicted on the most serious charge, she could face up to 20 years in prison.
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(Sources: USA Today, NPR, Fox News, The Associated Press, MSN)
(Cover photo of Carmen Lineberger, Image credit: Newsweek via X)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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