New York, December 16:  A former Facebook global diversity strategist recently admitted to wire fraud after defrauding the company with over USD 4 million. The US Attorney's Office in Atlanta announced that she used the money to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in California and Georgia. The accused, Barbara Furlow-Smiles, worked at Facebook (now Meta) from January 2017 to September 2021, leading various Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

As per the CNBC report, the federal prosecutors said that she devised a complex scheme to steal the money from the company, involving fake vendors, bogus charges, and cash bribes. “Instead of fulfilling her DEI mission, this defendant betrayed the trust of Facebook and defrauded the company of millions of dollars. Meta cooperated with the criminal investigation, prosecutors said. Furlow-Smiles, who resides in Atlanta, will be sentenced on March 19, 2024. She is currently out on a USD 5,000 bond. Former Apple Software Engineer Charged in US for Stealing Self-Driving Secrets From Company, Fleeing to China.

The report added that Furlow-Smiles used her position to orchestrate a sophisticated criminal scheme in which she received kickbacks in cash from fraudulent vendors. She also enlisted relatives, friends, and other associates to participate in her crimes, all to support a luxurious lifestyle through dishonesty rather than hard and honest work,” said US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. US Shocker: Inspired by Film ‘Office Space’, Software Engineer Steals $3,00,000 From E-Commerce Site Zulily.

The press release stated that Furlow-Smiles spent the company money on various personal expenses, such as hair stylists and babysitters, and USD 18,000 for preschool tuition. She also connected her company credit cards to digital payment apps like PayPal and Venmo and paid for “services” that she had never received. She then asked her friends, relatives, and associates who received the payments to give back some of the money to her or her husband. Furlow-Smiles also submitted fake expense reports and got cash from “vendors”. “She stole over USD 4 million from Facebook based on fraudulent charges and invoices for goods and services never delivered to the company.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 16, 2023 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).