Three employees were charged Wednesday with embezzling nearly $490,000 from the credit union that provides banking services to TheBus employees.

The Honolulu FBI office said the three workers were charged Wednesday after a seven-month investigation, with embezzlement and misapplication of funds from the OTS Employees Federal Credit Union.

The federally insured credit union is for employees of Oahu Transit Services, which runs TheBus, 811 Middle St.

In court documents, Jenny Nishida, 41, of Pearl City, a former teller, is accused of falsely processing 122 Visa payments credited to her Visa card account and a family member. The FBI said the payments were not made and the funds, totaling $358,685, were allegedly embezzled by Nishida between May 2009 and Aug. 2011.

Dona Takushi, 54, of Honolulu, a former manager at the credit union, is accused of falsely processing $40,970.63 in Visa charges to herself and a family member between Dec. 2010 and Sept. 2012. The FBI said she also made 153 false entries into the books reports and statements of the credit union to hide delinquent car and other loans for herself and family members between 2007 and 2012. The loans had an outstanding balance of $55,188 when the false entries were discovered.

Takushi is also charged with making false entries in the credit union’s books.

Nicole Cheung, 34, of Honolulu, is accused of falsely processing 54 Visa payments to herself and family members totaling $16,732 between Sept. 2007 and Sept. 2012.

The defendants are being allowed to remain free until their initial court appearances in the next two weeks, the FBI said. They will turn themselves in before the appearance, as negotiated with their attorneys.

The maximum penalty for embezzlement from a federally-insured credit union is 30 years in prison per count.

The maximum penalty for making false entries into the books and records of a federal credit union is 30 years in prison per count.