A former office manager for a Portage logistics and transportation company is accused of embezzling $347,362.59 in a scheme where she falsified truck repair invoices and diverted funds to her own bank account.

Stephanie Lynn Serbin, 42, of Hobart, is charged with two counts of felony theft and one count of fraud, all Level 5 felonies.

The charges filed in Porter Superior Court allege that the thefts occurred between May 13, 2020, and December 13, 2023.

Serbin was formerly an employee of Unis LLC, a third-party logistics fulfillment and transportation company with headquarters in Buena Park, California, and an office at 6515 Ameriplex in Portage.

In March 2024, the company’s vice president of human resources contacted the Portage Police Department to report the embezzlement.

Detective Anthony Dandurand of the Portage Police Department outlined the findings of his investigation in a probable cause statement.

As the office manager, Serbin authorized $181,744.59 in truck repair work for a company named Mobile Maintenance in Plainfield, Illinois. The Plainfield location is 1 1/2 to 2 hours away from Unis in Portage, although the company actually had an approved repair service only 10 minutes away.

The other $161,618 in truck repair bills was allegedly for a company named Sign Depot 4. The detective’s investigation found that the unit numbers listed for the trucks were fraudulent and Sign Depot 4 didn’t even exist, documents state.

One Unis employee told the detective that he first noticed something was amiss when he received his truck back in early 2022 and there was an invoice for repairs. The invoice stated that a seatbelt, seat and a mirror were repaired, but all of the items were still broken.

Another Unis employee stated that Serbin was the only one who had access to the repair bills. After that employee examined the company credit card records earlier this month, she discovered the charges to Sign Depot 4 and that the company didn’t exist. Serbin used a corporate credit card to pay for the Sign Depot 4 transactions, according to the charging documents.

The investigation also examined Serbin’s Square account — the work platform that helps businesses accept payments, manage operations and sell products or services online or in person — and her personal bank account with Horizon Bank.

It was determined that deposits were made into Serbin’s Square account to cover the cost of the repairs — which weren’t performed — and that the funds would then be transferred into her own account, court documents state.

Serbin was slated for an initial hearing Thursday in Porter Superior Court before Judge Jeffrey Clymer.

Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.