Former Facebook diversity strategist pleads guilty to stealing more than $4 million from company

PUBLISHED WED, DEC 13 20232:35 PM ESTUPDATED 4 HOURS AGO

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Dan Mangan

@_DANMANGAN

KEY POINTS

A FORMER FACEBOOK GLOBAL DIVERSITY STRATEGIST STOLE MORE THAN $4 MILLION FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA GIANT “TO FUND A LAVISH LIFESTYLE” IN CALIFORNIA AND GEORGIA, FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAID.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who led various Facebook Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs from 2017 through mid-2021, stole the money “through an elaborate scheme,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta said.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, cooperated with the investigation.

A former global diversity strategist at Facebook pled guilty to wire fraud afterstealing more than $4 million from the social media giant “to fund a lavish lifestyle” in California and Georgia, federal prosecutorssaid.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who led various Facebook Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs from 2017 through mid-2021, stole the money “through an elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta said in a statement.

Among other things, prosecutors said Furlow-Smiles, 38, caused the Meta subsidiary topay people for goods and services that were never actually provided to the companyand then had those individualspay her kickbacks.

“These individuals included friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. (HOLY SHIT this is so fucking funny. I bet FB was afraid to accuse her of anything, because she was a black Diversity Fraud.)

In some instances, Furlow-Smiles had Facebook pay people who did not give her kickbacks, in one case directing $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits, and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition, prosecutors said.

As part of the scheme, Furlow-Smiles linked PayPal, Venmo and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook.

Furlow-Smiles, who was not Facebook’s top DEI executive, pled guilty in Atlanta federal court on Monday.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan, in a statement, said Furlow-Smiles had abused her position of trust at Facebook to “defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission.”

Meta provided assistance and cooperation with the criminal investigation, prosecutors said.

Furlow-Smiles, who lives in Atlanta, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19. She is free on a $5,000 bond.

A spokesperson for Meta, in a statement to CNBC, said, “We are cooperating with law enforcement on the case regarding this former program manager, and we will continue to do so.”

Lance Clarke, a lawyer for Furlow-Smiles, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/13/former-facebook-diversity-leader-pleads-guilty-to-fraud.html?qsearchterm=facebook%20diversity%20

(This reminds me of the poem, “The Snake”)