Ex-Prosecutor Indicted for Allegedly Emailing Sealed Smith Report
Carmen Lineberger was indicted May 20 for allegedly emailing a sealed Volume II of Jack Smith's classified-documents report to her personal account after renaming it 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf.'
CBS NewsDOJ charges ex-prosecutor with emailing secret Jack Smith report to herself under file name "Bundt Cake Recipe"
MEDIAiteJUST IN: Former Fed Prosecutor Indicted for Allegedly Emailing Herself Jack Smith’s Report Renamed as Cake Recipe
RedStateNew: Ex-DOJ Attorney Allegedly Stole Official Records Disguised As Cake Recipes
USA TODAYTrump probe prosecutor indicted for smuggling secret documents
Overview
Carmen Lineberger was indicted May 20 on four felony counts for allegedly saving Volume II of Jack Smith's report as 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf' and emailing it to her personal account, and she pleaded not guilty.
The sealed Volume II summarizes Smith's classified-documents investigation into President Trump and was subject to a Jan. 21, 2025 court order by Judge Aileen Cannon barring DOJ release.
Prosecutors say Lineberger also emailed internal DOJ memoranda saved as 'Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,' and an investigation will be handled by a special prosecutor from the Northern District of Florida.
Lineberger, 62, a managing assistant U.S. attorney in Fort Pierce, faces charges including theft of government property and alteration and concealment of public records and faces up to 20 years in prison.
The indictment was unsealed and prosecutors said earlier filings show parts of the report have been barred from release while two legal groups continue appeals seeking disclosure.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources foreground prosecutorial allegations by emphasizing allegedly deceptive acts—renaming files to 'Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf' and emailing sealed reports—using terms like "sought to conceal" and referencing Trump's 'hoarding' of classified documents. they largely present indictment details without defense context or explanation, creating a prosecutorial-focused narrative through selective emphasis and sparse balancing quotes.