Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, a former managing assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, was charged on May 20, 2026, with felony counts including obstruction of justice, theft of government property, and concealing government records. The charges relate to her sending a sealed internal Department of Justice report on Donald Trump’s classified documents investigation to her personal email in December 2025 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Lineberger, 62, allegedly renamed the file containing the sealed report to "Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf" and, according to some sources, also used other cake recipe names such as "Chocolate Cake Recipe" to hide the document on her government computer before emailing it to her personal account [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The report was part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and related obstruction allegations [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The report had been subject to a court order issued by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on January 21, 2025, which blocked its public release or distribution [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Lineberger had received a copy of the report earlier in 2025 while working for the Southern District of Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges on social media, saying, "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. Carmen Lineberger allegedly emailed the confidential material to her own personal email, disguising them as dessert recipes to conceal them from record searches." [4]
Lineberger pleaded not guilty upon arraignment and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, according to court filings. She is charged with four criminal counts in total: two felony counts for obstruction and concealing government records and two misdemeanors for theft of government property under $1,000 [1, 3, 4, 5]. Some reports state the maximum prison sentence could be up to 20 years on obstruction plus other charges [5].
Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump were dropped or dismissed due to Trump’s reelection, DOJ policies against prosecuting sitting presidents, and a court ruling that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional [1, 3, 4]. The motive behind Lineberger’s transfer of the report to her personal email is unclear; some speculate she kept it as a personal souvenir or trophy [5].
The sequence of events began in early 2025 when Lineberger received a copy of the sealed report. Judge Cannon’s court order followed on January 21, 2025. Lineberger allegedly emailed the renamed report to her personal account on December 1, 2025. The indictment was unsealed on May 20, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
