A former diversity manager at Facebook has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $4 million from the company in what the Justice Department says was an elaborate scheme involving fake vendors and cash kickbacks.

Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who led Facebook's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs for years, has pleaded guilty to defrauding the company of more than $4 million using fictitious charges and fraudulent invoices, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"This defendant abused a position of trust as a global diversity executive for Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, ignoring the insidious consequences of undermining the importance of her DEI mission," U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement.

Ms. Furlow-Smiles served as lead strategist and global head of employee resource groups and diversity engagement at Facebook, which is now known as Meta.

From 2017 to 2021, she was responsible for developing and executing a range of DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs, with access to company credit cards and the authority to submit purchase orders and approve invoices.

Prosecutors said she abused her position at Facebook to defraud the company of millions of dollars, which she used to live a luxury lifestyle in California and Georgia.

'Elaborate Criminal Scheme'

Prosecutors said that, while in her role as a DEI executive, she devised a scheme that started with causing Facebook to onboard a number of vendors that were owned and operated by her friends and associates.

She approved purchase requisitions for these vendors to provide services to Facebook and then signed off on fraudulent and inflated invoices on the basis of which the company paid these vendors—who then gave her back most of the money.