A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) director in Michigan has been accused of running a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after a series of floods damaged her home in 2023.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed a criminal complaint against 55-year-old Serina Baker-Hill on Wednesday, charging her with engaging in a scheme to defraud FEMA and lying to federal agents.

Baker-Hill is a career employee with CBP and serves as director of CBP’s Center for Excellence and Expertise over Automotive and Aerospace Engineering.

“Following efforts with our interagency partners, I can report that a career Director level employee at US Customs and Border Protection has been charged with allegedly attempting to defraud FEMA, as well as lying to federal agents,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X. 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch on the uniform of a Rio Grande Valley sector chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol.  (CBP)

Records also did not show a significant drop in utilities that were consistent with the home being unoccupied during the time period, according to the DOJ.

Agents from the FBI and CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) interviewed Baker-Hill, who denied committing a crime or defrauding the U.S. government.

The investigation is ongoing. Once complete, a determination will be made on whether to seek a felony indictment.