A federal prosecutor who assisted with the Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Donald Trump has been indicted for allegedly illegally emailing copies of classified documents to herself, disguised as a cake recipe, Just the News reported Wednesday.

The Justice Department announced the indicted prosecutor is Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, an administrative assistant prosecutor for the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Lineberger has been charged with two counts of theft of government funds or property, one count of destruction, alteration or falsification of federal investigation records, and one count of concealment, removal or mutilation of public records.

The charges against Lineberger were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and she pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.

In announcing the indictment, the Justice Department stated Lineberger "concealed" her actions of repeatedly renaming electronic files of government records she received in the course of her official duties, and then transferring those records to her personal email account without authorization, through the end of 2025.

The Justice Department stated that the altered government records included portions of internal Justice Department electronic messages, internal Justice Department memos, and Justice Department reports relating to a criminal case that were sealed by court order and prohibited from distribution or disclosure outside of the department.

Lineberger is accused of attempting to conceal her actions by saving electronic copies of the government records in question under misleading file names, such as "chocolate cake recipe" or "burnt cake recipe," and then emailing them to her personal email account.

The Justice Department stated Wednesday that Lineberger "acted with knowledge that her transfer of records outside of the Department of Justice would directly violate a court order and impede the proper administration of the underlying criminal case."

FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X Wednesday afternoon: "This afternoon, a former federal prosecutor who supported Jack Smith’s political prosecution of President Trump was charged with stealing classified investigative documents," adding, "The FBI will not hesitate to hold accountable those who betray the trust of the American people in investigations that should never have been started in the first place."

Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing this aspect of Smith's special counsel investigation, ruled in February 2026 that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and all DOJ officials and employees were prohibited from disclosing, transmitting, or sharing two of Smith's reports related to Trump.

She is also an advisor to the National Black Prosecutors Association and the chair of the legal education committee for the National Black Prosecutors Association. While employed as a Justice Department attorney, Lineberger praised President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and criticized Justice Department policies under the Trump administration.

By NNP Chief Reporter Hong Seong-gu / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com