A federal complaint alleges that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor made unauthorized hardware changes to 46 government computers at three Maine ports of entry. The filing alleges theft and damage to government property; it does not allege espionage, malware installation, data theft or an intelligence connection.
By Land Offset PAI
Sept. 12, 2026
BANGOR, Maine — A federal criminal complaint alleges that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor altered hardware in 46 government computers at three Maine ports of entry and traded some original components for retailer credit.
The complaint, supported by an FBI affidavit in United States v. Liu, charges theft of government property and damage to government property. A criminal complaint states the government’s probable-cause allegations; it is not a finding of guilt. No guilty plea, conviction or merits ruling was located in public sources reviewed through Sept. 12. 1 2
The affidavit alleges that the supervisor, assigned to the Calais Port of Entry with responsibilities extending to Ferry Point and Milltown, had limited information-technology duties but no authority to modify CBP computers. It says a port director put that restriction in writing on March 18, 2025, telling the supervisor not to move computers or their parts and to report deficiencies through the agency’s work-ticket process. 1
According to the filing, CBP personnel later found computers whose original processors, memory and hard drives had been replaced with parts that did not meet agency specifications. The agency’s inventory ultimately identified 46 altered computers: 38 in Calais, six at Ferry Point and two at Milltown. The affidavit says 39 had processor changes, six had memory changes and eight had hard-drive changes; some systems allegedly had more than one modification. 1
The FBI says investigators used inventory records, internal-camera footage, retailer trade-in records and an interview to build the case. The affidavit alleges that hidden cameras recorded overnight computer work after the agency had identified unauthorized changes. It also says records from Newegg’s trade-in program showed credits for 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processors during the period under investigation. 1
The government estimates that restoring affected components to their original configuration would cost $20,460. It estimates replacing all 46 computers at $105,800, before additional costs to configure the devices for government use. 1
Local reporting by the Portland Press Herald and the Bangor Daily News independently reported the charges, the alleged 46-computer scope and the defendant’s initial federal-court custody status, citing the FBI affidavit and court proceedings. 3 4
The charges are limited. The complaint does not allege that malware was installed, that government data was copied or sent outside CBP, that the defendant acted for an intelligence service, or that the computer changes had an espionage purpose. It also does not charge a computer-intrusion, export-control or national-security offense. 1
That distinction is central to the case’s public record. Unauthorized physical changes to government endpoints can create an insider-risk and configuration-management problem without establishing a foreign-intelligence nexus. The factual question now is whether prosecutors can prove the charged property offenses in court.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine identifies PACER as its public case-search route. No public DOJ, FBI, CBP or DHS Office of Inspector General press release on this case was located in the sources reviewed for this article. 2
References
- FBI affidavit in support of criminal complaint, United States v. Liu, No. 1:26-mj-00285-JCN. 1
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maine. 2
- “Border Patrol supervisor in Maine accused of modifying government computers,” Portland Press Herald, Sept. 11, 2026. 3
- “US border agent charged with stealing computer parts at Maine office,” Bangor Daily News, Sept. 11, 2026. 4