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☆ Former Facebook and Nike diversity manager gets 5 years in prison for $5 million fraud
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

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

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, March 1, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. A California man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of threatening Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced Friday. The indictment detailed more threats Schultz made, including, "FANI WILLIS WILL BE DEAD IN 2024," and other threats using racial slurs. In a statement released by Willis' office, she referenced GOP state Sen. Bill Cowsert, who is leading an investigation of Willis' office. In March, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Willis could continue prosecuting the case, but she and Wade could not work on it together.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Mark Schultz, Schultz, FANI WILLIS, Trump, Keri Farley, Sen, Bill Cowsert, Ryan Buchanan, Wade, Scott McAfee Organizations: U.S, Attorney's, Northern, Northern District of Georgia, Department of Justice, American, United States Attorney, FBI, African American, Trump Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, California, Atlanta, Northern District, Chula Vista

☆ Former Facebook diversity strategist pleads guilty to stealing more than $4 million from company
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-13 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

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.

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, .

☆ Man charged with making threats against Georgia officials connected to case against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jason Morris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Alabama man has been charged with making threatening voicemails to Fulton County officials in Georgia because of their connections to the case against former President Donald Trump. Hanson, from Huntsville, Alabama, called the Fulton County government customer service line twice in August and left voicemails in which he threatened violence against the officials, according to US Attorney Ryan Buchanan. The Fulton County district attorney’s office declined to comment. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, center, speaks to the media June 1, 2021, in Atlanta. Ben Gray/AP“Threats of harm were directed towards me and District Attorney Willis for simply doing our job,” Labat said in a statement.

Persons: voicemails, Donald Trump, Arthur Ray Hanson II, Fani Willis, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, Hanson, Ryan Buchanan, Willis, Trump, you’re, ” Hanson, Labat, Ben Gray, ” Labat, “, ” Willis, Georgia’s Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Fulton County Sheriff, Justice Department, “, FBI, Trump Locations: An Alabama, Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, Huntsville , Alabama

☆ UBS to pay $1.4 billion for selling toxic mortgages prior to the Great Recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —The Justice Department announced on Monday that UBS has agreed to pay $1.4 billion in penalties for allegedly defrauding investors by selling mortgage-backed securities that blew up during the Great Recession. The settlement resolves the final case brought by the DOJ to investigate the role of Wall Street firms in the 2008 financial crisis. In a statement, UBS described the agreement as a settlement of a “legacy matter” and said it has been fully provisioned in prior periods. Other Wall Street firms including Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs were previously hit by even larger fines to reach toxic mortgage settlements with the US government. All told, prosecutors say they leveled more than $36 billion in fines for conduct that fueled the 2008 financial crisis, including from banks and ratings firms.

Persons: ”, Ryan Buchanan, Goldman Sachs Organizations: New, New York CNN, The Justice, UBS, DOJ, Wall Street, Eastern, of, Northern, Northern District of, Barclays, Deutsche Bank Locations: New York, of New York, Wall, Northern District, Northern District of Georgia

CNN —Reality TV Stars Julie and Todd Chrisley were sentenced to prison in federal court Monday. In addition, they were found guilty of several tax crimes, including attempting to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Todd Chrisley to 12 years in prison with three years of supervised release. His wife Julie Chrisley was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release. In a short statement to CNN in June, one of Todd Chrisley’s attorneys, Bruce Morris, said they were, “disappointed in the verdict” and planned to appeal.

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