A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official in Detroit has been charged in a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency and with making false statements to federal officials, the authorities announced on Wednesday.
A criminal complaint against the official, Serina Baker-Hill, was unsealed on Wednesday, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a news release. Ms. Baker-Hill, 55, is a career customs employee and the director of an agency center focused on the automotive and aerospace industries. She was arrested and later released on bond, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office. It is unclear who carried out the arrest, or when.
Ms. Baker-Hill applied for FEMA disaster assistance after powerful storms flooded thousands of homes, including her own, in the Detroit area in August 2023, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint said that a FEMA inspector confirmed there had been damage to the basement of the home she shared with her husband, and Ms. Baker-Hill claimed she could not safely live in her home while it underwent repairs.
FEMA approved funds for the repairs as well as two months of rental assistance, specifying the money was to be used for rent and essential utility costs while she was in temporary housing, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint said she received about $6,300 from the agency.
However, the complaint said investigators discovered that bank records showed none of the funds were used for rent, hotel stays or utilities. And video surveillance and utility records indicated that Ms. Baker-Hill and her husband continued living in their home, officials said in the complaint.
When interviewed by federal agents, Ms. Baker-Hill said she had never conducted any illegal activity of any kind, nor had she ever defrauded the U.S. government, the complaint said.
Authorities were investigating an unrelated matter last year when they became suspicious of Ms. Baker-Hill, the complaint said. The agents interviewed Ms. Baker-Hill last May.
Ms. Baker-Hill, who remains employed by the customs agency, did not respond to a request for comment. No lawyer was listed for her in court records.
Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, lauded the charges in a social media post on Wednesday afternoon. “This is part of the new FBI’s renewed efforts to crack down on public corruption and deliver accountability for the American people,” he wrote. “Justice will be done.”
Mr. Patel’s comments align with the efforts of President Trump and Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has been tasked with eliminating what they see as waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government — despite dismantling many traditional mechanisms for addressing corruption.
FEMA has come under significant scrutiny, with Mr. Trump floating the idea of formally disbanding the agency. Over a dozen senior leaders have been fired or resigned, and hundreds of employees have been let go or left voluntarily.
An official for customs said in a statement that “the overwhelming majority of C.B.P. employees and officers perform their duties with honor and distinction.”
Officials said they will determine whether to seek a felony indictment after the investigation is complete. A hearing is scheduled for early April, when a judge will determine if there is enough evidence to go to trial, according to the spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office.
