Georgia woman pleads guilty to stealing millions from Facebook to fund 'lavish lifestyle'

A Georgia woman has pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from social media giant Facebook to fund her "lavish lifestyle," federal prosecutors said.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, is accused of embezzling more than $4 million from Facebook through an "elaborate scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fictitious charges, and cash kickbacks," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Georgia said in a news release Tuesday. She used the money to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia, prosecutors added.

According to prosecutors, Furlow-Smiles led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at Facebook from 2017 to 2021, had access to company credit cards, and was authorized to submit purchase requisitions and approve invoices for Facebook-approved vendors. In a statement, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said Furlow-Smiles abused her position of trust at the company and ignored the "insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission."

“Motivated by greed, she used her time to orchestrate an elaborate criminal scheme in which fraudulent vendors paid her kickbacks in cash," Buchanan added.

Sentencing for Furlow-Smiles is scheduled for March 19, according to prosecutors. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

A spokesperson with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, told USA TODAY that the company is cooperating with law enforcement.

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Scheme involved relatives, friends, and other associates

Furlow-Smiles had caused Facebook to pay numerous individuals for goods and services that were never provided to the company, according to Buchanan. Those individuals then had to pay kickbacks, often in cash, to Furlow-Smiles in person or by mail.

These individuals included friends, relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and her university tutor, Buchanan added. For individuals who did not pay kickbacks, Buchanan said Furlow-Smiles had Facebook make payments.

In one instance, the company paid nearly $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition, according to Buchanan.

Furlow-Smiles used PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts linked to her Facebook credit cards to pay friends, relatives, and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook, according to Buchanan.

"To conceal the bogus charges on her Facebook credit cards, Furlow-Smiles submitted fraudulent expense reports, falsely claiming that her associates or their businesses performed work on programs and events for Facebook, such as providing swag or marketing services when, in fact, they had not done so," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Georgia said.

Prosecutors said Furlow-Smiles also used her position to onboard several vendors that were owned by friends and associates.

After Facebook approved the vendors' contracts, prosecutors said Furlow-Smiles would then inflate invoices to pay the vendors. Once Facebook paid the invoices, Furlow-Smiles directed the vendors send the money back to her.