Journalist Timothy Burke was indicted on Thursday and charged with conspiracy to commit hacking related to the publication of recordings of a former Fox News host, Tucker Carlson, which were leaked in the wake of Mr. Carlson dismissal from Fox News.

The Washington Post broke the news Thursday with Mr. Burke set for arraignment on Thursday afternoon. Mr. Burke’s attorney, Mark Rasch, told the Post last summer: “He never hacked Fox News.”

Mr. Burke was arrested Thursday morning by federal authorities at his home at Tampa, Florida, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The charges against him add up to 14 counts, including six counts of accessing a protected computer without authorization and seven counts of intercepting or disclosing wire, oral, or electronic communications.

“Tim is a master at finding links to stuff publicly posted on the internet,” Mr. Rasch said. “If a video is posted, public, unencrypted, and unprotected, then there’s simply no crime committed when a journalist like Tim finds it, reviews it, and accurately reports on it, even where, and maybe especially where, the subjects wish it was suppressed.”

Mr. Rasch added: “That’s the essence of journalism in the digital age.”

The recordings included clips of an interview Mr. Carlson did with a pop star, Kanye West, that were featured in a Vice report last year as well as hot-mic recordings of Mr. Carlson published by Media Matters.

Some of the clips published featured Mr. Carlson trashing Fox News’s streaming service and talking about sex with a Fox Nation host, Piers Morgan. “If we’re going to talk about sex, I’d love to hit some of the fine points of technique,” Mr. Carlson said.

In another episode, Mr. Carlson was recorded asking a female make-up artist whether pillow fights ever break out in the women’s restroom, discussing his “postmenopausal fans,” and describing a woman as “yummy.”