A former DEI manager for Facebook and Nike was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing over 5 million dollars from the two companies.
Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, was convicted of using fraudulent vendors, fictitious paperwork, and cash kickbacks to steal $4.9 million from Facebook and over $120,000 from Nike.
Furlow-Smiles was ordered by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Grimberg to pay restitution for what she stole and given five years in prison with three years of supervised release.
“Furlow-Smiles shamelessly violated her position of trust as a DEI executive at Facebook to steal millions from the company utilizing a scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fake invoices, and cash kickbacks,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. “After being terminated from Facebook, she brazenly continued the fraud as a DEI leader at Nike, where she stole another six-figure sum from their diversity program.”
According to the DOJ, the former employee used the stolen money to fund a “luxury lifestyle” in California, Georgia, and Oregon.
Furlow-Smiles ran diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at Facebook from January 2017 to September 2021.
In December 2023, Furlow-Smiles plead guilty to her charges.
