DOJ / EBay Press Release (06/15/20)
wondercoin
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I haven’t seen this reported on CNN or anywhere else. Have you?
BY: Department of Justice Press Release
Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Massachusetts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 15, 2020
Six Former eBay Employees Charged with Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign Targeting Natick Couple
BOSTON – Six former employees of eBay, Inc. have been charged with leading a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company. The alleged harassment included sending the couple anonymous, threatening messages, disturbing deliveries – including a box of live cockroaches, a funeral wreath and a bloody pig mask – and conducting covert surveillance of the victims.
James Baugh, 45, of San Jose, Calif., eBay’s former Senior Director of Safety & Security, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.
David Harville, 48, of New York City, eBay’s former Director of Global Resiliency, was arrested this morning in New York City on the same charges and will make an initial appearance via videoconference in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York.
In addition the following defendants were charged in an Information unsealed today: Stephanie Popp, 32, of San Jose, eBay’s former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence; Stephanie Stockwell, 26, of Redwood City, Calif., the former manager of eBay’s Global Intelligence Center (GIC); Veronica Zea, 26, of San Jose, a former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in the GIC; and Brian Gilbert, 51, of San Jose, a former Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay’s Global Security Team. They are each charged with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses and will make appearances in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging documents, the victims of the cyberstalking campaign were a Natick couple who are the editor and publisher of an online newsletter that covers ecommerce companies, including eBay, a multinational ecommerce business that offers platforms for consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer transactions. Members of the executive leadership team at eBay followed the newsletter’s posts, often taking issue with its content and the anonymous comments underneath the editor’s stories.
It is alleged that in August 2019, after the newsletter published an article about litigation involving eBay, two members of eBay’s executive leadership team sent or forwarded text messages suggesting that it was time to “take down” the newsletter’s editor.
In response, Baugh, Harville, Popp, Gilbert, Zea, Stockwell, and others allegedly executed a three-part harassment campaign. Among other things, several of the defendants ordered anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, a book on surviving the loss of a spouse, and pornography – the last of these addressed to the newsletter’s publisher but sent to his neighbors’ homes.
As part of the second phase of the campaign, some of the defendants allegedly sent private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content and threatening to visit the victims in Natick. The documents allege that Baugh, Gilbert, Popp and another eBay security employee planned these messages to become increasingly disturbing, culminating with “doxing” the victims (i.e., publishing their home address). It is alleged that the very same group intended then to have Gilbert, a former Santa Clara police captain, approach the victims with an offer to help stop the harassment that the defendants were secretly causing, in an effort to promote good will towards eBay, generate more favorable coverage in the newsletter, and identify the individuals behind the anonymous comments.
The third phase of the campaign allegedly involved covertly surveilling the victims in their home and community. According to the complaint, Harville and Zea registered for a software development conference to explain their trip to Boston on Aug. 15, 2019. Baugh, Harville, and Zea (and later Popp) allegedly drove to the victims’ home in Natick several times, with Harville and Baugh intending at one point to break into the victims’ garage and install a GPS tracking device on their car. As protection in the event they were stopped by local police, Baugh and Harville allegedly carried false documents purporting to show that they were investigating the victims as “Persons of Interest” who had threatened eBay executives. The victims spotted the surveillance, however, and notified the Natick police, who began to investigate. The police learned that Zea had rented one of the cars used by the defendants and reached out to eBay for assistance.
Aware that the police were investigating, the defendants allegedly sought to interfere with the investigation by lying to the police about eBay’s involvement while pretending to offer the company’s assistance with the harassment, as well as by lying to eBay’s lawyers about their involvement. At one point, for example, Baugh, Gilbert, Popp, and Stockwell allegedly plotted to fabricate another eBay “Person of Interest” document that could be offered to the police as a lead on some of the harassing deliveries. As the police and eBay’s lawyers continued to investigate, the defendants allegedly deleted digital evidence that showed their involvement, further obstructing what had by then become a federal investigation.
The charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses each carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Natick Chief of Police James G. Hicks made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth B. Kosto and David J. D’Addio of Lelling’s Securities, Financial and Cyber Fraud Unit are prosecuting the case.
The details contained in charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Link to Press Release on Department of Justice website.
eBay Inc. Issues Statement Regarding Indictments of Previously Terminated Employees
BY: eBay Press Release
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) today commented on indictments separately announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts against several former eBay employees. Neither the Company nor any current eBay employee was indicted. In order to preserve the integrity of the government’s investigation, eBay did not previously communicate about this matter. In light of today’s public announcement by the government, eBay is now addressing this matter publicly.
eBay was notified by law enforcement in August 2019 of suspicious actions by its security personnel toward a blogger, who writes about the Company, and her husband. eBay immediately launched a comprehensive investigation, which was conducted with the assistance of outside legal counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. As a result of the investigation, eBay terminated all involved employees, including the Company’s former Chief Communications Officer, in September 2019.
The independent special committee formed by eBay’s Board of Directors to oversee the Company’s investigation into this matter 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 behavior. eBay apologizes 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 Company noted that the internal investigation also examined what role, if any, the Company’s CEO at the time of the incident, Devin Wenig, may have had in this matter. The internal investigation found that, while Mr. Wenig’s communications were inappropriate, there was no evidence that he knew in advance about or authorized the actions that were later directed toward the blogger and her husband. However, as the Company previously announced, there were a number of considerations leading to his departure from the Company.
Link to statement on the eBayInc.com website.
Wondercoin
Comments
It was on the evening news on Tuesday for me.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I heard about this case yesterday and it is really weird.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
They've got a reputation to live down to.
I heard about it. I guess we rely on different news sources.
Really strange behavior by a major corporation.
I guess we can expect eBay fees to increase.
But in case eBay reads this, I think they're great.
I heard ... oh well another day.
Yup...in the papers on Tuesday and Wednesday
Wired did an article on this, extremely disturbing behavior from a major company (or any company, at that)
https://wired.com/story/ebay-employees-charged-cyberstalking-harassment-campaign/
Justin Meunier
Boardwalk Numismatics
😮🙂😜😂😉
I wonder how often these types of things happen where the people aren’t caught? We’ll never know. But it is a good thing that they were caught. This is pathological behavior.
I'm with errors on coins, ebay is the greatest thing since grandma's apple pie.
How does one search for and delete his old ebay comments?
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
This is the first I have heard of this....I am amazed at the audacity of such individuals and the extent to which their activities were taken....I also find it hard to believe that people in such positions took it upon themselves to conduct such a campaign. Based on things I learned in my career, I would say there is much more to be discovered and this goes deeper than so far exposed. Cheers, RickO
I heard about it that's a out it. I'm wondering about people named Stefanie now 😦
It's an odd story, indeed.
It really has nothing to do with the way eBay functions as a platform, however. Cue @errorsoncoins
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
Since the senior ranking culprits had not been personally attacked on line by the bloggers, I find it very hard to believe they were not acting on behalf of instruction/approval of a very high ranking ebay leader.
Oops, did i just say that?
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Here in Massachusetts, I heard this a few days ago.
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Bad transactions with : nobody to date
These were high ranking security personnel. It raises questions about the integrity of those who have access to important personal and financial information of millions of members.
Oops, did I just say that?
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
i thought i saw it here the other day but had to do some searches to make sure. it seems it was a bombshell dropped innocuously in another thread for a different topic.
As Cartmen would say "respect my authoritah!!!!"
Kennedys are my quest...
There is a thread on CT first posted on the 15th.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/6-ebay-executives-indicted-for-cyberstalking-absolutely-incredible-story.361755/
- Bob -
MPL's - Lincolns of Color
Central Valley Roosevelts
Don't forget sliced bread!
This tops the story about the astronaut lady driving in a diaper to get revenge.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
I remember that astronut story. That was something else
I'm not excusing the behavior. But when people here talk about eBay, they are talking about how the platform functions for them not the integrity/behavior of employees.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
Stranger than Fiction
Latin American Collection
I dunno. That story had added weirdness to it.
Could make for a "gang that couldn't shoot straight" limited series on Nflix. Egos and self centeredness can be ones worse enemy. Peace Roy
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The "culture" of a company, an athletic program, a private organization, etc. tends to be treated as a throwaway buzz word by many but it is a very real deal that often reveals its true self in the worst of times. There are organizations where this type of action would be very difficult to conceive much less carry out but there are way too many that lack a comprehensive course and compass (usually starting from the top down) and can get themselves in difficult situations quickly and all too often. The usual first reaction in the latter instance is to cover up
yet employee behavior/integrity becomes as important at the platform when talking about coin dealers/websites.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
Maybe. I'm sure there are lots of miscreants at any large corporation. It doesn't necessarily filter down to customers. But, sometimes it does.
I've got to get back to listing. eBay is AWESOME and sales have been torrid the last couple of months.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
I love ebay as well, but that doesn't give them a free pass when some of their most senior executives exhibit this type of criminal behavior.
No Way Out: Stimulus and Money Printing Are the Only Path Left
I don't watch CNN, but this isn't surprising. Don't be surprised if you see similar bad acts at the other big tech companies.
"James Baugh, 45, of San Jose, Calif., eBay’s former Senior Director of Safety & Security, was arrested today and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses."
They really know how to pick'em.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
ALLEGEDLY!!!
Besides, who knows better how to prevent a burglary than a burglar.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
“I don't watch CNN”
You think they carry FOX news in Asia where I am nearly half the year? You have to adjust! 😂
Wondercoin
Senior Director of Safety & Security
Director of Global Resiliency
Senior Manager of Global Intelligence
Manager of Global Intelligence Center (GIC)
Intelligence analyst in the GIC;
Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay’s Global Security Team
Really!?!?
Is this eBay or a super, secret department of the CIA or KGB?
“Senior Director of Safety & Security
Director of Global Resiliency
Senior Manager of Global Intelligence
Manager of Global Intelligence Center (GIC)
Intelligence analyst in the GIC;
Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay’s Global Security Team
Really!?!?
Is this eBay or a super, secret department of the CIA or KGB?”
With that “dream team”, our “seller protection” should be safe and secure!?!? You think?
Wondercoin
“@derryb said:
This tops the story about the astronaut lady driving in a diaper to get revenge.
I remember that astronut story. That was something else“
And, then attempting to excuse her actions by pleading “insanity”. 😝
Wondercoin
Wonder if they could sell the disturbing items on eBay. The original pig mask! $.99 no reserve!
Very strange. Incredibly childish. What sort of culture is behind even conceiving of this sort of conduct?
Here's a warning parable for coin collectors...
I can see a company having ONE person go rogue. Idiots exist everywhere. But a high level team of 5 or 6 people? That's just disturbing....
Remember Watergate?
The Mysterious Egyptian Magic Coin
Coins in Movies
Coins on Television
Depends on who answers to whom
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, evn when irrefutably accurate.
“I can see a company having ONE person go rogue. Idiots exist everywhere. But a high level team of 5 or 6 people? That's just disturbing....”
The “details” may all get revealed as the plea bargains or trials get underway!
Wondercoin
Not surprising there is conspiracy at the highest levels.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5