Former Facebook Diversity Executive Pleads Guilty to $4M Fraud

Barbara Furlow-Smiles used company funds to pay for fake services and fund a lavish lifestyle, sentencing scheduled for March 2024.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, a former global diversity executive at Facebook, has pleaded guilty to stealing over $4 million from the company.
Furlow-Smiles used her access to company credit cards and authority to approve invoices to pay friends and family for fake goods and services, submitting fraudulent expense reports.
She also hired suppliers operated by her friends who charged fraudulently inflated prices and paid her cash kickbacks.
Furlow-Smiles used the stolen funds to fund a lavish lifestyle, including spending $10,000 on an artist for bespoke portraits and $18,000 on pre-school tutors.
Furlow-Smiles is scheduled to be sentenced in March 2024.