There has been a viral video circulating around Twitter/X today of a work teleconference meeting where a manager singles out one of her interns to justify booking first-class tickets to St. Lucia for an alleged 'scouting trip' for her job.
Wait for it…
— Eric🎙️ (@ThereWBBourbon) December 14, 2023
pic.twitter.com/5RnWmwy88v
This video is hilarious (just look at the cringy, uncomfortable facial expressions on all of the co-workers on the call, for example), but we mention it here for an important reason. Some people just feel so superior and privileged ('How else would you fly to St. Lucia?' the intern asks) that they feel any behavior on their part is justified and above reproach.
... Which brings us to Meta and its former diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) executive Barbara Furlow-Smiles.
The former global diversity exec at @Meta has pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the woke company out of more than $4m. She led the DEI programs at Facebook and used the company accounts to pay her friends & family, who then gave her cash. Read:https://t.co/zBwKNSEYri
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) December 14, 2023
Defrauded the company to the tune of more than $4 million. Wow. The intern in the viral video above has got nothing on Furlow-Smiles.
Katie Daviscourt of The Post Millennial provides more details:
A former Facebook diversity program manager entered a guilty plea to defrauding the social media company of over $4 million through a criminal scheme in which she pretended to be conducting business in exchange for kickbacks.
Barbara Furlow-Smiles, who was the global diversity executive for Facebook, has been accused by the Department of Justice of defrauding the company to fund a lavish lifestyle spanning from Georgia to California, the New York Post reports.
The DOJ said that Furlow-Smiles 'caused Facebook to pay numerous individuals for goods and services never provided to the company.' Those individuals included her friends and relatives who would then funnel kickbacks to Furlow-Smiles.
Furlow-Smiles was able to carry out the scheme because she had access to company credit cards and her role at the company also included approving invoices, according to prosecutors.
The same person who creates the charges approves the charges? That ... doesn't seem ethical. In fact, it sounds quite similar to the Biden family business model. Or perhaps something C. Montgomery Burns would have cooked up.
https://t.co/iyCjVaAUee pic.twitter.com/grRIsLuFK5
— NotYourJewishMom🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@CaffMomREDACTED) December 14, 2023
Many were quick to note their lack of surprise, given Furlow-Smiles' DEI role at the company.
lol Meta got taken by a DEI grifter! https://t.co/9VpK7FIMII pic.twitter.com/C5WRTHTX1E
— Purple Dalmation (@purpledalmation) December 14, 2023
ALL of DEI is a grift. It was just a lot more obvious in this case.
If you still believe in DEI, honey you are the problem. It was so obvious in 2020 that they only want to destroy the rule of law and society. https://t.co/VfOP287ao6
— Karina Velásquez 🇻🇪🇺🇸♀️proud Latina! (@KarinaVlaw) December 14, 2023
Disgusting.
— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) December 14, 2023
These people have no morals.
This is why we need to Unite.
And fight this insidious disease.
#DEI scam everything about it is a boondoggle- “Furlow-Smiles led Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs at Facebook between 2017 to 2021, and was responsible for developing and executing DEI initiatives, operations, and engagement programs, according to the DOJ.”
— Diane 🇺🇸 (@DianeDauer007) December 14, 2023
The fact that it was Meta/Facebook who got defrauded did give many a nice little dose of schadenfreude.
— SIC TEE 3.0 (@SIC_TEES_CO) December 14, 2023
🤣🤣🤣
— Ima Libby Tarian (@ImaLibbyTarian) December 14, 2023
Another great DEI pick. FB should try hiring based on character next time!
Did someone say "fraud" and META? pic.twitter.com/IM6J8i2sNz
— Final Cut MI🇺🇲 (@FinalCutTile) December 14, 2023
Oh, we're sure that Elon Musk had himself a jolly old laugh at this news.
Haha. Amazing. https://t.co/sGYUvlBVNY
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) December 14, 2023
Just imagine how much every American company could save their shareholders and customers if they all just abolished DEI completely. But Communist China survivor Xi Van Fleet had another reason why companies allow criminals like this into their top echelons.
It is reparation, Meta style.
— Xi Van Fleet (@XVanFleet) December 14, 2023
This is true. But we're still hopeful the tide is turning against the scam of DEI.
At long last, can't we stop with CRT/DEI?
— Abby (@NoCRTinSchools) December 14, 2023
Rewarding people with admissions to college, top jobs, etc. should always be based on merit.
And, for those of you who don't think Black people can win on merit? That's racist. https://t.co/NyXUWRkBzp
George Bush called it 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.' But we don't think there's anything soft about it. It's just racist to give a person like Furlow-Smiles her position when there are certainly many more qualified people -- of both sexes and all races -- who would be qualified to work for Meta ... and who wouldn't rob them and their customers blind.
We just have to nip it in the bud like the manager at the top of this article did when her intern flew first class to St. Lucia. We're pretty sure that intern is out of a job now.
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