A former federal prosecutor from Port St. Lucie faces criminal charges for allegedly stealing sealed court records connected to a criminal case against President Donald Trump. The indictment against Carmen Lineberger, 62, details charges of theft of government property, destruction or falsification of records in federal investigations, and concealment or mutilation of public records.
Charges Against the Former Prosecutor
Lineberger worked as the managing assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The destruction, alteration, or falsification charge alone carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. In recent months, other local officials have faced legal scrutiny, such as when a Fort Pierce commissioner resigned following an arrest.
The indictment references the Trump documents case only by its case number. Between Trump’s two terms in the White House, the Fort Pierce branch was hearing a case against the then-former president and two of his assistants connected to a trove of classified documents found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Palm Beach. Meanwhile, concerns about public officials’ conduct have also arisen elsewhere in the county, such as the recent investigation into a St. Lucie County Commissioner over residency claims.
Disguised File Names and Personal Email
The indictment states that Lineberger sent internal U.S. Department of Justice documents related to the case to her personal email account and disguised the names of the files. The files were marked “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY – INTERNAL DOJ USE ONLY.” This is not the first time a Port St. Lucie government employee has faced criminal allegations; for example, a Port St. Lucie city employee was arrested for electronic written threats in a separate incident.
In September 2025, Lineberger allegedly created a document containing DOJ memos, saved the file as “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and emailed it from her DOJ account to her personal account. In December 2025, she allegedly downloaded a case report, changed the file name to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and emailed it to herself.
Trump Documents Case Background
The charges against Trump were dismissed in 2024. The charges against his two co-defendants were also dismissed in 2025, after Trump returned to office.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port St. Lucie Ex-Federal Prosecutor Charged
Who is Carmen Lineberger?
Carmen Lineberger, 62, is a former federal prosecutor from Port St. Lucie. She worked as the managing assistant U.S. Attorney at the Fort Pierce branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
What charges does Lineberger face?
She was charged with theft of government property, destruction or falsification of records in federal investigations, and concealment or mutilation of public records.
How did she allegedly disguise the stolen files?
She allegedly saved one DOJ memo file as “Chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf” and another case report as “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” before emailing them to her personal account.
What prison sentence could the falsification charge carry?
The destruction, alteration, or falsification charge alone carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
What happened to the Trump documents case?
The charges against Trump were dismissed in 2024. The charges against his two co-defendants were also dismissed in 2025.
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