Former Facebook employee pleads guilty to stealing $4 million
- Published By The Statesman For The Statesman Digital
- 1 year ago
An Atlanta woman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from Facebook while she was an executive at the company.
Barbara Furlow-Smiles who worked as a lead strategist, global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook, Inc., now known as Meta, from about January 2017 to September 2021 according to U.S. Attorney Northern District of Georgia Ryan K. Buchanan’s Office.
“This defendant abused a position of trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission,” said Buchanan in a statement.
According to the US Attorney, Furlow-Smiles used her Facebook expense account to live a luxurious lifestyle in California and Georgia.
Furlow-Smiles fraudulently used Facebook funds to pay for numerous personal expenses including hair stylists, babysitters, and $18,000 to a preschool for tuition, according to Buchanan.
Furlow-Smiles’ “scheme” was to link her company credit cards to PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App, then use those cards to pay others for services never performed, Buchanan says.
Friends, relatives, and associates who received the payments would then return some of the money to Furlow-Smiles as a kickback, according to Buchanan’s Office.
Investigators say Furlow-Smiles would create inflated invoices to pay them, then those vendors would return a portion of the payment to Furlow-Smiles.
Buchanan adds, “She even involved relatives, friends, and other associates in her crimes, all to fund a lavish lifestyle through fraud rather than hard and honest work.”
Sentencing for Barbara Furlow-Smiles is scheduled for March 19, 2024.
Share on
SHARE YOUR COMMENT
MORE STORIES FOR YOU
Trending Stories
DJ Mo’s former illicit lo...
- Published By Jane
- January 15, 2024
Mapenzi! Zari and Tanasha...
- Published By Jane
- October 24, 2023
Zuchu Speaks on Diamond P...
- Published By Jane
- October 12, 2023
Hio Ni Upumbavu Wasituche...
- Published By Jane
- November 8, 2023
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
How to deal with a silent...
- Published By Jedida
- October 16, 2024
How to set yourself up fo...
- Published By Jedida
- October 16, 2024
Postpartum Hemorrhage: Si...
- Published By Jedida
- October 16, 2024
Study reveals long term e...
- Published By Jedida
- October 16, 2024
Latest Stories
Kimani Ichung’wah calls f...
- Published By Jedida
- December 23, 2024
President Ruto announces...
- Published By Jedida
- December 23, 2024
EPL 24/25: Chelsea draw 0...
- Published By Jedida
- December 23, 2024
EPL 24/25: Liverpool beat...
- Published By Jedida
- December 23, 2024