US Customs supervisor busted for stealing Core i7 CPUs, RAM, and hard drives from Homeland Security PCs
A US Customs and Border Protection supervisor has been arrested for a massive theft of high-end computer hardware from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) workstations. The suspect allegedly swapped out powerful components for inferior parts to liquidate the stolen tech for profit.
The Heist: Swapping Core i7s for Pentium Chips
According to reports from The Maine Wire, the FBI has charged Terry “Jiajia” Liu, a supervisor at the Customs and Border Protection facility in Calais, Maine, with theft and damage to government property. The investigation revealed a systematic scheme where Liu targeted at least 46 computers across three different border facilities in Maine.
The stolen hardware included high-performance components, specifically Intel 14th Generation Raptor Lake Refresh processors, various memory modules (RAM), and hard drives. To hide the theft, Liu reportedly replaced the high-end components with much weaker hardware. In some instances, workstations originally equipped with modern i7 processors were downgraded to much older, entry-level Pentium chips.
Surveillance and Modus Operandi
Despite explicit orders from Port Director Theodore Cummings—who had strictly prohibited Liu from moving any computer parts due to his limited IT support role—the supervisor allegedly used his access to carry out the thefts. Surveillance footage captured Liu performing the swaps during midnight shifts, often moving the systems to a training room to avoid detection.
The footage showed Liu using a screwdriver to scrape thermal paste off processors before installing the replacement chips. This method of
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