A former diversity program manager at Nike and Facebook has been sentenced to prison after admitting to embezzling more than $5 million from the companies.
Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who oversaw Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at Facebook from 2017 to 2021, misused her position to carry out a scheme involving fraudulent vendors and false invoices.
She used the embezzled funds to support a lavish lifestyle in Georgia, Oregon, and California, making payments for personal expenses through PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App, with kickbacks going to her associates.
Furlow-Smiles submitted fake expense reports to cover up her actions, claiming payments for services that were never provided to Facebook.
After being fired from Facebook, she continued her fraudulent activities at Nike, stealing a total of $5.02 million.
Furlow-Smiles pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2023 and has been ordered to pay restitution of nearly $5.12 million to both Facebook and Nike.
