He forged his dead boss’s signature to give himself a $775,000 raise. Prison awaits
When a boss dies, most workers grieve. Ben Padua prospered.
Padua, 57, is a former vice president of finance for the Charlotte trucking firm, Carrier Transicold, according to his LinkedIn page.
When the company’s owner died in October 2019, Padua saw a financial opportunity where most of his co-workers might be expected to experience a loss.
Prosecutors say the Huntersville resident forged the signature of his deceased boss on a phony employment contract that significantly increased his salary, bonuses and life insurance benefits.
He then backdated the document to make it appear the owner had signed off on Padua’s enhanced compensation package before his passing.
Padua also set it up so he was paid outside the company’s normal payroll system, meaning he did not pay taxes on what he stole.
In all, Padua paid himself almost $775,000 in embezzled dollars.
Even worse: When the owner’s widow sold the company in 2020, she gave Padua $200,000 of the profits.
On Sept. 1, 2020, Padua texted her his thanks.
“You are so welcome,” she replied. “... the thing I love most about you is your loyalty.”
Prosecutors say Padua’s scheme might have gone on indefinitely had the new owners not noticed some “accounting anomalies” Padua had put in place to hide his improved revenue stream. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in January 2022.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney sentenced Padua to 30 months in prison. After he is freed, Padua must serve 30 months of supervised release and begin paying almost $730,000 in restitution.
He will report to prison at a later date.
