A former diversity manager at Facebook and Nike was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for stealing more than $5 million from those companies that had been earmarked for DEI initiatives, federal prosecutors said.
Georgia resident Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the case in December, stole more than $4.9 million from Facebook "utilizing a scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fake invoices, and cash kickbacks," Atlanta U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in a statement.
"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," Buchanan said.
Furlow-Smiles, 38, used the money she stole "to fund a luxury lifestyle in California, Georgia and Oregon," according to Buchanan's office, which had asked a judge to sentence her to 6½ years.
She was a lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook, the subsidiary of Meta.
Persons:
Barbara Furlow, Ryan Buchanan, brazenly, Buchanan
Organizations:
Facebook, Nike, Atlanta U.S, Meta, Prosecutors, PayPal
Locations:
Georgia, California , Georgia, Oregon