An Atlanta woman and former executive at Facebook, now known as Meta, pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $4 million from the tech giant using an elaborate fraud scheme. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Barbara Furlow-Smiles was previously trusted with overseeing the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives but instead exploited her position and company resources for personal gain.
Furlow-Smiles conducted her scheme in two major ways, as per a press release detailed in Lipstick Alley's coverage. She made use of Facebook credit cards linked to her personal PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts to funnel company cash to friends and relatives, ostensibly for non-existent services. To keep the deception going, fraudulent expense reports were submitted, and these associates then funneled back the majority of the stolen funds to Furlow-Smiles. Adding another layer, she steered Facebook into hiring vendors run by her inner circle, directing them to kick back a slice of the payment, inflating her coffers.
"Furlow-Smiles used lies and deceit to defraud both vendors and Facebook employees," declared Keri Farley, the Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. This scam enabled Furlow-Smiles to support an opulent lifestyle across California and Georgia, funded directly by her former employer's deep pockets.
The total theft surpassed the $4 million mark before the authorities caught on to her. Now, Furlow-Smiles faces the music with sentencing slated for March 19, 2024, in front of U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg. She has already admitted her guilt in the complex fraud case led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Meta cooperating in the investigation, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Bernita B. Malloy are prosecuting the case.
