California Man Charged in Vizio Cargo Theft Scheme
A California truck driver has been charged in Porter County after investigators say he played a role in a scheme to steal more than half a million dollars’ worth of Vizio televisions.
According to court documents, Lakhwant Singh, 27, of Fresno, California, is charged following an investigation into six shipments picked up from UNIS Warehouse at 6515 Ameriplex Drive, Portage, between December 19 and December 26, 2024. The shipments, bound for Sam’s Club distribution centers in Edwardsville, Illinois; Shakopee, Minnesota; and Oswego, Illinois, never arrived. Instead, investigators say falsified or forged proof-of-delivery documents were submitted while the trailers themselves never entered the facilities.
Investigation Details
The investigation began in January 2025 after Sam’s Club reported undelivered shipments to the contracted broker, GTS Transportation. The shipments had been sub-contracted to a California-based carrier.
- Records show Singh picked up a shipment valued at $58,029.92 on December 19, 2024, in Portage, and his phone tracked to the Edwardsville, Illinois, area but never onto the distribution property. The submitted proof-of-delivery was determined to be falsified.
- Other shipments ranging in value from $82,183.67 to $137,662.16 showed similar patterns, with drivers’ phones pinging near the delivery sites but no record of entry in gate logs or surveillance footage.
- The total reported loss was $594,754.16, according to documentation submitted by Vizio’s insurer.
Investigators also found that trailers were seen on license-plate reader cameras in Illinois but never at the intended destinations. Federal Motor Carrier records later showed the transportation company faced an involuntary revocation of authority in February 2025 after its insurance was canceled. Homeland Security Investigations and Walmart Global Investigations were also reported to be reviewing related thefts in other states.
Charges Filed
Singh faces two felony counts in Porter County:
- Theft (Level 5 Felony) – exerting unauthorized control over Vizio property valued at more than $50,000.
- Conspiracy to Commit Theft (Level 5 Felony) – agreeing with another person to commit theft of property valued at more than $50,000.
Singh was lodged in the Porter County Jail on August 19, 2025.
This case remains under investigation and other charges and arrests may be pending.
