Barbara Furlow-Smiles attends the 2020 Sisters' Awards at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on March 8, 2020. A former global diversity strategist at Facebook pled guilty to wire fraud after stealing more than $4 million from the social media giant "to fund a lavish lifestyle" in California and Georgia, federal prosecutors said. In some instances, Furlow-Smiles had Facebook pay people who did not give her kickbacks, in one case directing $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits, and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition, prosecutors said. As part of the scheme, Furlow-Smiles linked PayPal, Venmo and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives and other associates for goods and services purportedly provided to Facebook. Furlow-Smiles, who was not Facebook's top DEI executive, pled guilty in Atlanta federal court on Monday.

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Persons: Barbara Furlow, Smiles, Furlow, Ryan Buchanan, Meta, Lance Clarke Organizations: Attorney's, Facebook Diversity, Equity, Facebook, PayPal, . U.S, Meta, CNBC, CNBC PRO Locations: Los Angeles, Atlanta, California, Georgia, .