7 former eBay employees charged in harassment campaign against journalists

Online retailer eBay agreed to pay $3 million to resolve criminal charges for harassment and intimidation of two Massachusetts journalists, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts announced on Jan. 11, 2024.

The fine, one of the terms of the company’s deferred prosecution agreement, is the maximum allowable for the charges. The agreement also mandates that the company make extensive changes to its compliance program.

Seven former eBay executives and employees embarked on a campaign of harassment and intimidation of David and Ina Steiner, married co-publishers of the blog and newsletter ECommerceBytes, after the Steiners published an article about litigation involving the company in August 2019.

The employees were arrested in 2020, and received sentences ranging from house arrest to 57 months in prison. The state charged eBay with six felony offenses, including stalking, witness tampering and obstruction of justice.

Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division, said the settlement holds eBay “criminally and financially responsible for emotionally, psychologically, and physically terrorizing the publishers of an online newsletter out of fear that bad publicity would adversely impact their Fortune 500 company.” Cohen added, “No one should ever feel unsafe in their own home, and while this settlement cannot erase the significant distress this couple suffered, we hope it will deter others from engaging in similar conduct.”

The Steiners’ civil suit against the company, several of the company’s former executives and the seven former employees indicted by the state is ongoing.

The Steiners did not respond to a request for comment.

Six former eBay employees have been sentenced for their involvement in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the editor and publisher of an online e-commerce news site.

David and Ina Steiner, who are married, have run the blog and newsletter ECommerceBytes for more than two decades out of their home in Natick, Massachusetts, focusing coverage on online retailers, including Amazon, Craigslist and eBay. After the journalists published an article about litigation involving eBay in August 2019, seven former company executives and employees coordinated a campaign to “take down” the journalists.

The employees were arrested and charged in 2020 with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness, and each pleaded guilty. Philip Cooke, former senior manager of security operations for eBay's Global Security Team, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in July 2021. He was also fined $15,000 and sentenced to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

Five of the employees were sentenced in the fall of 2022, according to the Department of Justice.

• James Baugh, former senior director of safety and security, was sentenced to 57 months in prison and two years of supervised release on Sept. 29. He was also ordered to pay a $40,000 fine.
• David Harville, former director of global resiliency, was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of supervised release on Sept. 29. He was also ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.
• Stephanie Popp, former senior manager of global intelligence, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and two years of probation on Oct. 11.
• Stephanie Stockwell, former manager of eBay’s Global Intelligence Center, was sentenced to two years of probation, with one year to be served under house arrest, on Oct. 11.
• Veronica Zea, former intelligence analyst contractor for eBay’s Global Intelligence Center, was sentenced to two years of probation, with one year to be served under house arrest, on Nov. 3. She was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

According to court records, the sentencing of the final employee charged in the plot, former Senior Manager of Special Operations Brian Gilbert, has been delayed until May 2023 to allow Gilbert to complete treatment for a cancerous tumor.

“The defendants’ toxic brand of online and real-world harassment, threats, and stalking was outrageous, cruel and defies any explanation,” United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement following the sentencing of Baugh and Harville. “This should serve as a strong reminder to all that holding positions of wealth and privilege does not absolve or shield criminals from accountability and incarceration.”

A former eBay executive pleaded guilty on May 12, 2022, for his role in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the editor and publisher of an online e-commerce news site.

David and Ina Steiner, who are married, have run the blog and newsletter ECommerceBytes for more than two decades out of their home in Natick, Massachusetts, the Wall Street Journal reported, focusing their coverage on online retailers, including Amazon, Craigslist and eBay. According to a Department of Justice press release, an August 2019 article in the newsletter about litigation involving eBay allegedly spurred a conversation between two company executives “suggesting that it was time to ‘take down’ the newsletter’s editor.”

EBay's former Senior Director of Safety & Security James Baugh and former Director of Global Resiliency David Harville initially pleaded not guilty following their arrests on June 15, 2020. Baugh changed his plea to guilty on April 25, 2022, and faces decades in prison if he receives the maximum sentence on the nine charges against him, according to CBS News.

The Associated Press reported that Harville — the final individual charged in the case to plead guilty — pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses on May 12. According to his change of plea documents, Harville faces up to 10 years in prison, six years of supervised release, fines up to $500,000 and restitution to the Steiners.

Other former eBay employees Philip Cooke, Brian Gilbert, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell and Veronica Zea pleaded guilty on charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness in October 2020.

A former eBay security manager pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison on July 27, 2021, for his role in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the editor and publisher of an online e-commerce news site.

David and Ina Steiner, who are married, have run the blog and newsletter ECommerceBytes for more than two decades out of their home in Natick, Massachusetts, the Wall Street Journal reported, focusing their coverage on online retailers, including Amazon, Craigslist and eBay. According to a Department of Justice press release, an August 2019 article in the newsletter about litigation involving eBay allegedly spurred a conversation between two company executives “suggesting that it was time to ‘take down’ the newsletter’s editor.”

The FBI initially indicted one of those executives and five other eBay employees on June 15, 2020, for then allegedly executing a harassment campaign against the Steiners. Philip Cooke, former senior manager of security operations for eBay's Global Security Team, was charged in connection with the plot on July 7. Cooke was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness, according to court documents.

Cooke pleaded guilty to both counts in October 2020, Ars Technica reported. On July 27, 2021, he was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on both counts, with the sentences being served concurrently, according to an order issued by the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. Cooke was also fined $15,000 and sentenced to three years of supervised release following his imprisonment.

Four of the other eBay employees — Brian Gilbert, Stephanie Popp, Stephanie Stockwell and Veronica Zea — also pleaded guilty in October 2020, according to Justice Department press releases. Ars Technica reported that their sentencing hearings are scheduled for late September 2021.

EBay's former Senior Director of Safety & Security James Baugh and former Director of Global Resiliency David Harville pleaded not guilty and are still facing charges.

The Steiners additionally filed a civil suit on July 21 against eBay, the company’s former CEO Devin Wenig, former Chief Communications Officer Steve Wymer, and the seven indictees, alleging they now suffered emotional, psychological and financial harm as a result of the harassment campaign.

“The unrelenting stream of threats to kill, disturbing deliveries, as well as the physical surveillance caused the Steiners to suffer from significant and continuing emotional distress,” the complaint states. The suit also states that the harassment “had a stifling effect on their reporting, hampering current and future business growth.”