A former Facebook global diversity strategist pled guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company through an “elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks,” federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, pled guilty to wire fraud related to the scheme, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta said in a statement.
Furlow-Smiles led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook between January, 2017 and September, 2021. As Facebook’s lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement, Furlow-Smiles was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs, prosecutors said.
She had access to company credit cards and was able to approve invoices and used her position to “cheat and defraud the company,” prosecutors…
