Facebook Diversity Leader Barbara Furlow-Smiles Wiki, Age, Boyfriend, Career & More

All About Former Facebook Diversity Leader Barbara Furlow-Smiles

Barbara Furlow-Smiles (age 38, born in July 1985) a former Diversity Leader at Facebook in charge of promoting diversity, has admitted to orchestrating a scam that cost the social media company over $4 million.

While working as a lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement, Furlow-Smiles tricked the system by creating fake business deals in exchange for personal kickbacks.

Her deceptive plan also involved convincing Facebook to send money to entities that never fulfilled their promises of kickbacks. Notable examples include sending nearly $10,000 to an artist for special portraits and directing over $18,000 to an unnamed preschool. Barbara Furlow-Smiles is currently awaiting sentencing, which is set for March 19, 2024.

Read Also: Lorene Shea (Kyle Richards’s Bestfriend) Wiki, Obituary, Age, Husband, Parents & More

Furlow’s Elaborated Fraud Scheme

During her time overseeing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs at Facebook from 2017 to 2021, Barbara Furlow-Smiles had a lot of control over important company efforts. She had access to company credit cards and could manage purchases and payments. Sadly, she used this power to run a complex scheme that tricked Facebook out of more than $4 million.

Taking advantage of her position, Barbara Furlow Smiles set up a sneaky plan. She made Facebook pay for things and services that were never actually given to the company. This deceitful setup involved her getting kickbacks, often in cash, from the people she sent these fake payments to.

Her scheme had two main parts. First, she linked payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App to her Facebook credit cards. Then she used these to pay her contacts for work that they didn’t really do for Facebook. To hide these fake transactions, she made up reports that lied about the work these contacts supposedly did for the company.

Afterward, these contacts gave most of the money back to Barbara as cash kickbacks. The second part of her plan involved Furlow-Smiles introducing Facebook to vendors that belonged to her friends and contacts. She approved inflated bills from these vendors, and after Facebook paid them, she redirected extra money back to herself.

The people she involved in this illegal setup ranged from friends and past interns to babysitters and even her university tutor. Barbara Furlow-Smiles masterminded this elaborate scam, taking more than $4 million from Facebook. She used this unlawfully gained money to live a lavish life, owning homes in California and Georgia.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles Family Background

Barbara Furlow-Smiles was born in July 1985 in Georgia, United States, has intentionally maintained a low digital profile by removing her social media presence, making information about her life relatively scarce.

Despite her limited online presence, it’s known that Barbara spent her entire childhood in Georgia. After completing her schooling in 2003, she pursued higher education at Spelman College, focusing on Political Science and International Relations.

In 2010, she took a new direction, relocating to New York and enrolling at Baruch College, where she successfully earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Barbara’s educational journey also took her abroad, including spending time in South Africa. During this period, she attended the University of the Western Cape, with a concentration on communications and international relations.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles’ Career

Barbara Furlow-Smiles embarked on her professional journey in 2007, securing a role as a Summer Associate at Vh1. Transitioning swiftly, she attained her first full-time position as a Department Assistant at Viacom later that same year.

Barbara’s dedication and expertise earned her a notable tenure at Viacom before she transitioned to Cox Communications, where she assumed the role of Sr. Manager. After contributing her skills at Cox Communications, Barbara advanced in her career, securing the position of ERG Program Manager at Facebook.

Her impact at the social media giant spanned over four years, during which she also shouldered the responsibilities of Global Head of Employee Resource Groups. However, unbeknownst to many at the time, she was running a scheme within the company, orchestrating the theft of over $4 million.

Despite her illicit actions, she changed jobs and joined Nike as Senior Director of Consumer Creation and Innovation in 2021. Eventually, her fraudulent activities came to light, resulting in severe consequences for both her career and personal life. She is now awaiting sentencing.

Read Also: Tou Ger Xiong Wiki, Obituary, Age, Ethnicity, Wife, Parents & More

Barbara Furlow-Smiles FAQs

Ques: How old is Barbara Furlow-Smiles?

Ans: Barbara is 38.

Ques: How much did Barbara Furlow-Smiles steal from Facebook?

Ans: Over $4 million.

Ques: When will Barbara Furlow-Smiles be sentenced?

Ans: March 19, 2024.