eBay agrees to pay $3 million fine (maximum criminal penalty) over twisted scandal Senior executives and other employees track down a couple The state of Massachusetts published a newsletter criticizing the company. The harassment campaign included online threats, sending employees to monitor the couple’s home and mailing them disturbing items including live spiders and cockroaches, bloody pig masks and a book about recovering from the death of a spouse.
The Justice Department accuses eBay of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, tracking through interstate travel and tracking through online communications. eBay’s former director of security, James Baugh, and former director of global resiliency, David Harville, both served time in prison for their roles in the scheme.
Ina Steiner and David Steiner publish a book statement Thursday on their website. “eBay’s actions against us have had a permanently damaging impact on us – emotionally, psychologically, physically, reputationally and financially,” the Steiners wrote. “We strongly urge federal prosecutors to pursue further prosecutions to prevent corporate executives and board members from creating a culture that tolerates or encourages stalking and harassment.”
The criminal activity appears to start at the top of the company. In 2019, Ina Steiner published an article in the couple’s newsletter EcommerceBytes discussing eBay’s lawsuit against Amazon. Half an hour later, eBay’s then-CEO Devin Wenig sent a message to another executive saying: “If you want to take her down… now is the time,” according to court documents. The message was forwarded to Bowe, who responded that Steiner was a “biased troll who needs to be burned.”
Wenig, who resigned later that year, denied any knowledge of criminal activity and was not charged with a crime. The Steiners are currently suing Wenig for his role in a campaign to “intimidate, threaten to kill, torture, intimidate, stalk and silence them.”
“We continue to express our deepest apologies to the Steiners for everything they have suffered,” current eBay CEO Jamie Iannone said in the media. statement. “Since these events, new leaders have joined the company and eBay has strengthened its policies, procedures, controls and training. eBay remains committed to upholding high standards of conduct and ethics and to reconciling with the Steiner family.”
A total of seven eBay employees and contractors were convicted for their role in stalking and harassing the Steiners, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Ministry of Justice. In addition to Baugh and Harville, the list also includes Stephanie Popp and Philip Cooke, both of whom will be sentenced to prison in 2022. Stephanie Stockwell and Veronica Zea were both sentenced to one year of home confinement that same year. Brian Gilbert has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
