UMVA has learned that a shocking indictment has been brought against former Justice Department prosecutor Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, accusing her of removing confidential Justice Department material and then concealing her efforts.
Lineberger, 62, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., is alleged to have secretly transferred former Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report and hidden the material under files labeled "chocolate cake recipe" and "bundt cake recipe" - a brazen move that has left many wondering what her motives could have been.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Lineberger has been indicted on four criminal charges: one felony count of obstruction of justice, one felony count of concealing government records, and two misdemeanor counts of theft of government property valued at less than $1,000.
The indictment reveals that Lineberger altered electronic file names of government records to conceal unauthorized transmissions of the documents to her personal email accounts, using the cake recipe file names to conceal her possession of the confidential information.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the case is particularly interesting given that another person, former FBI Director James Comey, was accused of a similar secret removal of Justice Department material, yet was not prosecuted.
Comey was found to have grabbed departmental material, including documents containing the "code name and true identity" of a sensitive source, and was accused of violating FBI policy in his handling of FBI memos.
The Inspector General's investigation found that Comey had taken "the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive investigative information, obtained during the course of FBI employment, in order to achieve a personally desired outcome," and had "set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees—and the many thousands more former FBI employees—who similarly have access to or knowledge of non-public information."
Lineberger has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 20 years on the obstruction charge and other charges, and prosecutors are likely confident in their case given the evidence that she took steps to conceal the alleged theft.
The decision to prosecute Lineberger, not Comey, has raised questions about the Justice Department's commitment to holding high-ranking officials accountable for their actions.
As the case against Lineberger moves forward, one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the consequences of her actions could be severe.
