Federal prosecutors accuse Terry “Jiajia” Liu, a Customs and Border Protection supervisor in Maine, of secretly replacing processors, memory and hard drives in government computers with inferior components and trading some of the original parts for retail credit.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A Chinese national employed as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor has been arrested after an FBI counterintelligence investigation allegedly captured him secretly dismantling and modifying government computers at three Maine border facilities, according to court records detailed by The Maine Wire.
Terry “Jiajia” Liu, 39, is accused of altering 46 CBP computers by removing processors, memory modules and hard drives, replacing some of the equipment with older or lower-quality components and using original government parts to obtain trade-in credit from electronics retailer Newegg.
The computers were located at CBP facilities in Calais, Ferry Point and Milltown along the Maine-Canada border. Investigators said many of the altered machines were subsequently reconnected to the agency’s network.
The criminal complaint charges Liu with theft and damage to government property. Federal prosecutors are seeking to keep him detained, arguing that his international travel, financial resources and residence near the Canadian border create a flight risk.
Liu appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison in Bangor and was temporarily ordered held without bail pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday morning. He waived a preliminary hearing while requesting a hearing on the government’s detention motion.
According to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Christopher J. White, Liu served as a CBP supervisor assigned to the Calais Port of Entry, with duties extending to Ferry Point and Milltown.
Although Liu had limited information-technology responsibilities, investigators said his position did not authorize him to alter agency computers.
That restriction had been explicitly communicated to him more than a year before his arrest.
On March 18, 2025, Port Director Theodore Cummings sent Liu written instructions after discussing the matter with him.
“Please do not move any computers or computer parts,” Cummings wrote.
The message distinguished equipment serviced by a contractor from CBP computers, which were supposed to be handled by the agency’s information-technology personnel.
“I do appreciate the intent but we should stay in our lane and report deficiencies through the work ticket process,” Cummings wrote.
Despite that warning, investigators allege that Liu continued modifying computers.
CBP personnel eventually discovered that approximately 23 machines had undergone unauthorized alterations. An expanded inventory later increased that number to 46 computers — 38 in Calais, six at Ferry Point and two in Milltown.
According to the FBI affidavit, processors had been replaced in 39 machines, memory had been altered in six and hard drives had been changed in eight. Some computers allegedly underwent more than one type of modification.
The affected government computers originally contained 14th-generation Intel processors. Investigators said several had instead been fitted with older processors or Intel Pentium models, while other computers were found with reduced memory or storage capacity.
Federal authorities estimate that replacing the missing or altered components would cost $20,460. Replacing all 46 computers entirely would cost approximately $105,800, not including the additional expense of configuring replacement machines for government operations.
Investigators allege that some of the missing processors were converted into retail credit through Newegg’s trade-in program.
The affidavit describes 13 emails Liu allegedly forwarded from his personal email account to his official CBP account. Those messages contained shipping labels and trade-in summaries involving processor models matching equipment missing from government computers. The offers were reportedly worth $200 or $210 each.
Records obtained from Newegg showed that Liu traded in 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processors 16 times between May 2025 and July 2026, according to the FBI. Investigators also identified three $200 Newegg credits in Liu’s American Express records.
The first count of the criminal complaint accuses Liu of stealing 10 Intel processors valued at more than $1,000 between approximately May 2025 and January 2026.
A second count alleges that Liu damaged or attempted to damage CBP computers between January and March 2026, causing more than $1,000 in damage or attempted damage.
The investigation ultimately moved beyond inventories and financial records.
Federal agents installed hidden cameras inside the CBP facility after discovering the unauthorized modifications. According to White’s affidavit, surveillance footage captured Liu opening government computers, removing components and installing replacements during overnight shifts.
Investigators provided a detailed account of activity during a Jan. 9 overnight shift.
Shortly after midnight, Liu allegedly carried computers into a training room, removed their side panels and began handling internal components. A camera installed several days earlier recorded him using what appeared to be a screwdriver, removing a processor and scraping its surface in a way investigators said was consistent with removing thermal paste.
He allegedly installed another processor, transferred components between machines and connected monitors, keyboards and network cables while testing the altered computers.
Investigators said Liu appeared at one point to use his government identification to log into one of the modified machines.
A separate camera installed above his assigned desk in March allegedly recorded Liu taking a memory module from a government computer and placing it in a desk drawer. He then carried that computer into a server room and connected it to a monitor, keyboard, mouse and network cable, according to the affidavit.
The layout and staffing of the facility could leave Liu working away from other CBP officers during overnight shifts, investigators said. One supervisor typically covered the open ports during midnight shifts. Traffic at Calais was routed through the cargo side while Liu’s assigned desk was located on the passenger side.
During a Sept. 9 interview, Liu admitted replacing CBP components with older parts purchased from Amazon and Newegg and acknowledged using government components for trade-in credit, according to White.
The FBI agent said Liu initially told investigators that he altered the computers to improve their efficiency.
His explanation later changed.
Under additional questioning, Liu allegedly acknowledged knowing the substitutions reduced the computers’ performance and said he made the changes because he was frustrated with the amount of time CBP computer repairs required.
The affidavit does not allege that Liu installed malware, transferred classified or government information outside the agency or used the substituted components for espionage. While altered computers were allegedly returned to the CBP network, the complaint as described does not attribute an intelligence-gathering purpose to the hardware modifications.
Liu is originally from Guangzhou, China, according to information on his Facebook page cited in the report. His precise immigration and citizenship history was not established in the court records described in the report.
CBP officer positions generally require U.S. citizenship. Liu’s Facebook activity reportedly includes a 2020 election-related image suggesting that he voted that year, though that social-media post alone does not establish his citizenship status.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Ruge cited Liu’s “recent and frequent international travel” and “apparent foreign connections and substantial means with which to flee” in arguing for his detention.
Prosecutors also argued that the criminal allegations could weaken Liu’s ties to his federal employer and the United States.
His home in Calais, near the Canadian border, provides a “significant opportunity” to leave the court’s jurisdiction, Ruge wrote, contending that electronic location monitoring might not prevent Liu from crossing into Canada.
Liu purchased his Poole Street property in Calais in 2018, according to property records cited in the report.
Before living in Maine, Liu resided in Oklahoma, where his Facebook account indicates he attended college and held a government job. Corporate and licensing records also reportedly show that he briefly owned a cannabis license associated with Jliu Farm LLC in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma.
A Washington County source said Liu’s Calais property was raided Thursday by individuals locals believed were FBI agents.
That source also claimed Liu was apprehended at Bangor International Airport while attempting to board a flight to China. The court records described in the report, however, do not establish where Liu was arrested or confirm that he was attempting to leave the United States when he was taken into custody.
Newegg, the retailer investigators allege received some of the government processors, operates a trade-in program allowing customers to exchange qualifying processors, memory and graphics cards for credit toward other purchases.
The company was founded by Taiwanese entrepreneur Fred Chang and specializes in computer components, consumer electronics and gaming equipment.
The federal case centers on allegations that Liu repeatedly accessed and altered government-owned computers despite having been explicitly instructed not to handle CBP computer equipment. Prosecutors allege the activity continued across multiple border facilities and involved dozens of computers before investigators installed surveillance equipment that documented his actions.
The allegations remain accusations contained in a criminal complaint and FBI affidavit. Liu has not been convicted of the charges.
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