A former diversity manager at Facebook and Nike has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison for stealing over$ 5 million from the companies, which was intended for diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) initiatives.
CNBC reports that , Barbara Furlow- Smiles, a 38- yr- ancient Georgia citizen, pleaded innocent to cable fraud in December after being accused of stealing more than$ 4.9 million from Facebook and an extra six- figure sum from Nike. According to Atlanta U. S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan, Furlow- Smiles used a system involving “fraudulent vendors, false invoices, and income kickbacks” to funnel funds from Facebook, where she worked as a lead strategist and worldwide head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement.
Mark Zuckerberg Meta Selfie ( Facebook )
Mark Zuckerberg and guards ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images )
Furlow- Smiles started the program after joining Facebook in 2017, according to the prosecution. She linked PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App addresses to her Instagram credit cards and used those addresses to give friends, family, and others for alleged goods and services that were never delivered. The majority of the cash was finally returned to Furlow-Smiles.
Furlow- Smiles continued her dishonest behavior at Nike after being fired from Facebook in the middle of 2021, working there from November 2021 to February 2023 as a top producer of variety, capital, and participation. She allegedly carried out a related fraud plot while working for Nike, according to the prosecution.
The taken money was used by Furlow- Grins to finance a beautiful life in California, Georgia, and Oregon. In addition to the prison sentence, District Judge Steven Grimberg ordered her to pay restitution of$ 4.98 million to Facebook and$ 121, 000 to Nike.
Facebook’s parent company, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, cooperated with law enforcement throughout the investigation, and Furlow-Smiles ‘ actions went beyond financial losses, claiming that her” crimes also resulted in anguish amongst those employees that worked closely with her.”
Similarly, Nike expressed disappointment in Furlow- Smiles ‘ actions, stating that she violated the company’s trust and devastated the employees who worked with her. She also showed” complete lack of responsibility or remorse,” according to the company.
Read more at CNBC here.
For Breitbart News, Lucas Nolan is a reporter covering issues involving free speech and online censorship.
