A former high-ranking Department of Justice official in Florida has been indicted by a federal grand jury after allegedly changing file names and covertly emailing sealed Special Counsel documents to her personal account, in violation of a strict gag order issued by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon.
Federal prosecutors filed a formal notice indicating that Carmen Mercedes Lineberger, the former Managing Assistant United States Attorney for the Fort Pierce branch office, was charged with crimes.
The unsealed court records link her actions directly to the high-profile federal case involving co-defendants Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira.
According to the government’s filing, Lineberger used her high-level security credentials to alter and conceal the true identity of a digital copy of Volume II of the Special Counsel’s Report. Once the file’s naming structure was masked, she took steps to smuggle the records entirely outside the Department of Justice network by sending electronic messages directly to her personal email address.
The transmission directly violated a protective injunction handed down by Judge Cannon. That emergency mandate explicitly blocked the dissemination of the highly sensitive report outside of authorized government channels, explicitly naming the agency’s leadership and staff.
As detailed in the legal filing, Judge Cannon’s original order specified that:
“Attorney General Garland or his successor(s), the Department of Justice, its officers, agents, officials, and employees, and all persons acting in active concert or participation with such individuals, are enjoined from (a) releasing, sharing, or transmitting Volume II of the Final Report or any drafts of Volume II outside the Department of Justice, or (b) otherwise releasing, distributing, conveying, or sharing with anyone outside the Department of justice any information or conclusions in Volume II or in drafts thereof.”
Because the leak originated inside the regional prosecutor’s office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida officially recused itself from the investigation to avoid conflicts of interest. John P. Heekin, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, was brought in as a Special Attorney under federal law to spearhead the independent grand jury probe and subsequent prosecution.
The criminal case against Lineberger has been formally logged under Case No. 9:26-cr-80097-EA. Government lawyers noted that the formal disclosure was submitted to Judge Cannon’s court this week to ensure the presiding judge can evaluate the security breach and consider additional courtroom sanctions or disciplinary measures against those involved.
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