Former Facebook Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing $4 Million from Company

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, a former employee of Facebook, has confessed to embezzling more than $4 million from the tech giant in order to finance an opulent lifestyle in California and Georgia. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Furlow-Smiles held the position of lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook, now known as Meta, from January 2017 to September 2021. She executed the theft through a sophisticated scheme that involved manipulating vendors, fabricating charges, and receiving kickbacks in cash.

The US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Ryan K. Buchanan’s Office, commented on the case, emphasizing the breach of trust and undermining the significance of Furlow-Smiles’ mission in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. He highlighted the severity of the repercussions of her fraudulent actions.

It was discovered that Furlow-Smiles abused her Facebook expense account to sustain a lavish lifestyle, utilizing the stolen funds to cover personal expenditures such as hairdressers, babysitting, and a substantial $18,000 for preschool tuition. According to Mr. Buchanan, she manipulated company credit cards by linking them to digital payment platforms like PayPal and Venmo, making payments for services that were never rendered. Additionally, she enlisted the help of friends, relatives, and associates in her deceptive activities, some of whom would receive payments from her and return a portion of the money to her or her spouse.

Investigators revealed that Furlow-Smiles fabricated false expense reports and obtained cash from “vendors.” Her actions also involved friends and family in perpetuating the scheme, all in aid of financing her extravagant lifestyle through illicit means.

In their press release, the attorney’s office stated that Furlow-Smiles embezzled over $4 million from Facebook, using fraudulent charges and invoices for goods and services that were never provided to the company. This significant amount was then used to sustain a luxurious lifestyle in California and Georgia. Additionally, Meta has extended cooperation and support for the criminal investigation.

As the case continues to unfold, Furlow-Smiles, a resident of Atlanta, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2024. She is currently out on a $5,000 bond.