Former Ebay executives arrested in cyberstalking campaign
Six former top executives and employees at Ebay have been charged with cyberstalking, following a campaign of harassment against a couple who ran a negative newsletter about the company.
Among those arrested were Ebay’s former senior director of safety and security James Baugh, and David Harville, former director of global resiliency.
The former staff are accused of sending “disturbing” packages to the unnamed couple’s home which included live cockroaches, a bloody pig mask and a funeral wreath.
They are also accused of having pornography delivered to neighbouring houses in the couple’s names. In a second phase of the campaign, some of those involved allegedly planned to send private messages to the couple threatening to publish personal details such as their home address online, as part of a tactic that is called doxxing.
An internal investigation into the matter at Ebay also involved its former chief executive David Wenig, but the firm said while “[his] communications were inappropriate, there was no evidence that he knew in advance about or authorised the actions that were later directed toward the blogger and her husband”.
Wenig resigned from Ebay in September last year, citing disagreements with the board.
In a statement given to media Ebay said: “Ebay took these allegations very seriously from the outset. Upon learning of them, Ebay moved quickly to investigate thoroughly and take appropriate action. The company cooperated fully and extensively with law enforcement authorities throughout the process.
“Ebay does not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Ebay apologises to the affected individuals and is sorry that they were subjected to this. Ebay holds its employees to high standards of conduct and ethics and will continue to take appropriate action to ensure these standards are followed.”
The US attorney general in Boston charged each of the six former staff with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses. They will appear in a Boston court at a later date.