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Former eBay executives jailed for conspiracy to control the network


eBay headquarters in San Jose, California, USA

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Two years ago eBay managing director was sent to prison Thursday for their participation in a network scheme aimed at a couple behind an e-commerce blog that is seen as critical of the company.

James Baugh, eBay’s former senior director of safety and security, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison, while eBay’s former global chief, David Harville, was sentenced to two years behind bars.

Baugh, Harville, and several other eBay executives launched a campaign in 2019 to harass Ina and David Steiner, editor and publisher of eCommercebytes, a website followed by online sellers. close. Prosecutors said executives were urged by former eBay CEO Devin Wenig to hunt down the couple after he and other company leaders were outraged by their coverage of the company. .

What unfolded, prosecutors said, was a strange and elaborate “three-part harassment campaign” intended to “intimidate” the Steiners and influence their reporting of the company, prosecutors said. know in a statement.

eBay executives repeatedly sent harassing and threatening messages to the couple on Twitter. The campaign escalated further when the Steiners began receiving “disturbing deliveries” to their home outside of Boston, including a book about surviving the death of a spouse, a car bloody pig mask, a pig fetus, a funeral wreath and live insects, prosecutors said. Additionally, Craigslist posts appeared online inviting strangers to experience sexual encounters at the victim’s home.

Baugh, Harville and others also traveled from California to the Steiners’ home to survey the couple. They hoped to install a GPS tracking device on the couple’s car, but the garage was locked, so Harville bought tools to break in..

Five other eBay employees have pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the matter.

“The defendants’ toxic brand of online and real-world harassment, intimidation, and tracking is outrageous, ruthless, and defies any explanation — more so because these people are the seasoned and well-paid security executives backed by the resources of a Fortune 500 corporation,” U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “Their behavior is deplorable.”

An eBay spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Ina Steiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wenig, who stepped down as CEO in 2019, is not named in the case. Steiners filed a separate lawsuit against eBay, Wenig, and former senior vice president Steve Wymer. That case is pending.

“We believe that everyone who plays a role should be held accountable,” wrote Ina Steiner in a blog post about the case on Wednesday.

CLOCK: How organized retail crime is fueled by stolen goods on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace

How organized retail crime is fueled by stolen goods on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace



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