Ex-DOJ Lawyer Charged With Taking Sealed Report on Trump Probe

May 20, 2026, 7:13 PM UTC

A former federal prosecutor in southern Florida has been charged with illegally sending herself a copy of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s sealed report on the now-closed criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified information.

A four-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday against Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, 62, who entered a plea of not guilty at a hearing earlier in the day, court records show. Prosecutors allege that the former managing assistant US attorney used coded file names to try to hide the contents of the materials she was sending herself.

One of the documents that Lineberger is charged ...

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