US Customs and Border Protection official accused of lying to receive FEMA flooding help
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A director with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Detroit is facing fraud charges after she allegedly lied to receive federal help after her home flooded.
Serina Baker-Hill, 55, the director of CBP's Center for Excellence and Expertise over Automotive and Aerospace Engineering, is accused of receiving money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that she didn't use for their intended purpose.
The backstory:
After Baker-Hill's Detroit home flooded in August 2023, she applied for FEMA assistance. A FEMA inspector visited her home and confirmed that her basement had flooded. During that inspection, Baker-Hill allegedly told the inspector that she was not able to safely live in the home while repairs were being done.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Baker-Hill was approved to receive help paying for the repairs and two months of rental assistance to stay somewhere else while the repairs were being done. That money was only to be used for rent and essential costs while Baker-Hill was displaced.
However, none of that money was used for its intended purpose, the DOJ alleges. Instead, Baker-Hill and her husband remained living in the home and did not use the relief money for rental assistance, a hotel, or utilities. This was confirmed by bank records, surveillance video of the home, and utility bills, the DOJ said.
When Baker-Hill was interviewed by authorities, she allegedly claimed to have done nothing illegal.