When former eBay government James Baugh of San Jose first launched the harassment marketing campaign in opposition to a pair publishing a publication with content material essential of the e-commerce large, Baugh urged to his operatives that they ship the pair “scary masks, stay bugs, or embarrassing gadgets, reminiscent of pornography and strippers,” in accordance with an FBI affidavit. Minus the strippers, that’s what they despatched — and extra.
Baugh, 47, pleaded responsible Monday to 5 counts of stalking, two counts of witness tampering and two counts of destruction, alteration and falsification of data in a federal investigation. His sentencing in federal court docket in Massachusetts is scheduled for Sept. 29. He was one in every of seven former eBay workers — together with two former Santa Clara Police Division captains — charged with prison offenses in relation to the marketing campaign.
The Boston-area married couple, Ina and David Steiner, who printed an internet purchasing publication that contained studies and feedback essential of eBay, had been “terrified” and suffered “substantial emotional misery” from the year-long harassment marketing campaign, the affidavit stated.
On the preliminary assembly in a room at eBay’s San Jose headquarters to plan the marketing campaign in opposition to the couple, Baugh was joined by Stephanie Popp of San Jose, eBay’s senior supervisor of International Intelligence; Stephanie Stockwell of Redwood Metropolis, an eBay intelligence analyst; Veronica Zea of Santa Clara, an intelligence analyst on contract with eBay, and three different intelligence analysts, in accordance with the affidavit.
Baugh, previously eBay’s senior director of security and safety, offered further steering to the operatives, screening a clip from a 1988 film referred to as Johnny Be Good, during which two buddies prepare the supply to their soccer coach’s house of tons of of dollars in pizzas, an elephant, a male stripper, an exterminator and Hare Krishna missionaries, the affidavit stated.
Beginning in August 2019, Baugh’s workforce despatched the Steiners a preserved fetal pig, a Halloween masks of a bloody pig face, a how-to guide on surviving a partner’s loss of life, a funeral wreath, pizzas — and stay maggots, spiders and cockroaches, in accordance with the affidavit.
That very same month, “Hustler: Barely Authorized” pornographic magazines arrived on the properties of two of the couple’s neighbors, addressed to David Steiner, in accordance with the affidavit. A Craigslist advert invited “singles/couples/swingers” and native faculty college students to the Steiners’ deal with without spending a dime booze and “an excellent time,” and one other Craigslist advert quickly after additionally gave the couple’s deal with, inviting company for threesomes and bondage, in accordance with the affidavit. The harassment additionally included vulgar, abusive and threatening posts and messages on Twitter, the affidavit stated.
Baugh and others charged within the conspiracy made a number of journeys to Natick, Massachusetts, to surveil the Steiners, shopping for a GPS monitoring gadget they deliberate to cover on their automotive, with Baugh training putting in it on the same car, in accordance with the affidavit, which signifies the gadget was by no means planted as a result of the couple noticed the surveillance and contacted police.
Though the affidavit refers to eBay “Govt 1” and “Govt 2” as members of eBay’s government management workforce, whose textual content messages — despatched earlier than the harassment marketing campaign — included statements reminiscent of “take her down” with regard to Ina Steiner, neither government was charged. Court docket paperwork point out Govt 1 was former eBay CEO Devin Wenig and Govt 2 was his communications head Steve Wymer, Recode reported in 2020. Wenig, who resigned from eBay in September 2019, instructed Recode the texts had been “wildly misinterpreted and brought utterly out of context in some media studies” and that he had given “no course” or “tacit approval” for the marketing campaign. Wymer instructed Recode, “I might by no means condone or take part in any such exercise.” eBay didn't instantly reply to questions Tuesday about Baugh’s responsible plea and any actions it took relating to Executives 1 and a pair of.
The Steiners, who produced the publication EcommerceBytes with Ina as reporter and editor and David as writer, have sued eBay, Baugh and the six different former eBay workers, together with Wenig and Wymer, alleging the marketing campaign left them “fearing for his or her lives.” Wymer, who left eBay in 2019, had been terminated by the corporate, in accordance with the go well with in Massachusetts federal court docket. The Steiners are looking for unspecified damages.
Baugh and the six different eBay workers had been arrested in June 2020. Philip Cooke, one other former Santa Clara police captain who had been a safety supervisor at eBay, was sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in jail. The opposite former Santa Clara police captain, Brian Gilbert, together with Stephanie Popp, Veronica Zea and Stephanie Stockwell, have pleaded responsible and are awaiting sentencing. David Harville, eBay’s former director of world resiliency, has pleaded not responsible and is awaiting trial.
Baugh faces as much as 5 years in jail for every of the 5 stalking expenses, and as much as 20 years in jail for every of the 4 different expenses. Nonetheless, federal sentencing tips and judges’ discretion imply the utmost sentences are hardly ever handed out.