On May 19, 2026, a former Managing AUSA at the Fort Pierce, FL branch of the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida was charged with two counts of Theft of Government Property, one count of Destruction, Alteration, or Falsification of Records in Federal Investigations, and one count of Concealment, Removal, or Mutilation of Public Records. According to the Indictment, in or around September 2025, Carmen Mercedes Lineberger compiled a document containing portions of internal messages and an internal memorandum, used the filename “chocolate cake recipe” to conceal the content, and sent it to her personal email account. In or around December 2025, she accessed a report that remained under seal, altered the electronic file name to “bundt cake recipe” to conceal the content, and emailed it twice to her personal email account. Lineberger self-surrendered. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Huntsville Locale and the FBI; digital forensic assistance was provided by the OIG’s Cyber Investigations Office.
Date Issued
Case Action
Indictment/Charge/Arrest