1 Prison Time, Hefty Fines Follow Cyberstalking
Jim Baugh and David Harville were sentenced to 57 and 24 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the extensive harassment, which included making threats and disturbing home deliveries. The target of their campaign was a Natick, Massachusetts, couple whose online newsletter had offended eBay’s CEO at the time. Baugh, eBay’s former senior director of safety and security, and Harville, its former director of global resiliency, were also fined $40,000 and $20,000, respectively, after pleading guilty to cyberstalking-related charges. 2 “Extreme and Outrageous”
When U.S. District Judge Patti Saris handed down the sentence in Boston on Thursday, she called the duo’s actions a “hard-to-imagine” scheme fueled by a “toxic culture” at eBay. “It was extreme and outrageous,” she said. 3 “Take Her Down”
Married couple David and Ina Steiner published the newsletter EcommerceBytes, which senior executives of eBay considered critical of eBay and a threat to its business, prosecutors said. According to the CBC, in August 2019, then-CEO Devin Wenig texted another executive that it was time to “take her down,” referring to Ina Steiner. (Wenig has not been charged and denies knowledge of the harassment.)  The couple told the judge they were constantly terrorized by eBay’s employees.“As agents of eBay, they made our lives a living hell,” David Steiner said. 4 Porn Magazines, Strange Tweets, Troubling Home Deliveries
CBC News reported that under Baugh’s direction, the Steiners received anonymous, harassing Twitter messages, bizarre emails, and disturbing home deliveries like spiders and a book on surviving the loss of a spouse. Porn magazines labeled with the husband’s name were sent to a neighbor’s house, and a Craigslist ad was posted soliciting participants for sexual encounters at the victims’ home.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb 5 eBay’s Apology
eBay apologized to the Steiners last year. “The misconduct of these former employees was wrong, and we will do what is fair and appropriate to try to address what the Steiners went through,” the company said. “The events from 2019 should never have happened, and as eBay expressed to the Steiners, we are very sorry for what they endured.” The couple has sued the company and Wenig over the abuse.