Ex Facebook Employee Admits To Stealing Over $4 Million From Company To Fund Luxurious Lifestyle

A former Facebook employee has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the social media giant "to fund a lavish lifestyle" in California and Georgia. According to the US Attorney's Office, Barbara Furlow-Smiles worked as a lead strategist, global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook (now Meta) from about January 2017 to September 2021. She stole the money "through an elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks," the federal prosecutors said in a statement.

"This defendant abused a position of trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission," said US Attorney Northern District of Georgia Ryan K. Buchanan's Office. 

According to the press release, Ms Barbara used her Facebook expense account to live a luxurious lifestyle in California and Georgia. She fraudulently used the company funds to pay for numerous personal expenses including hair stylists, babysitters and $18,000 to a preschool for tuition. 

Mr Buchanan said that Ms Barbara linked her company credit cards to digital payment apps like PayPal, and Venmo, and then she used the cards to pay for "services" she never actually availed. She even roped in her friends, relatives and associates in the scheme. They would receive payments from her and then return some of the money to her or her husband. 

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Investigators said that Ms Barbara created false expense reports and had "vendors" give her money in cash. "She even involved relatives, friends, and other associates in her crimes, all to fund a lavish lifestyle through fraud rather than hard and honest work," Mr Buchanan said. 

"In total, Furlow-Smiles stole more than $4 million from Facebook based on fictitious charges and fraudulent invoices for which goods and services were never provided to the company. She used the money to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia," the attorney's office said in a press release.

Meta provided assistance and cooperation with the criminal investigation, prosecutors said. 

Now, Ms Barbara, who lives in Atlanta, is scheduled to be sentenced on March 19, 2024. She is currently free on a $5,000 bond.