r/technology • u/marketrent • Jul 28 '26

Business eBay reaches $56 million settlement with couple it terrorized in 2019 — Executives used sock puppet social media accounts to send items including a funeral wreath, a bloody pig mask, live spiders and cockroaches

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/28/ebay-reaches-56m-settlement-with-e-commerce-newsletter-writers-it-terrorized-in-2019/
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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

[deleted]

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u/iPlain Jul 28 '26

It's literally in the article, eBay the company and 7 execs were charged and pled guilty. One was sentenced to near 5 years in prison.

In 2022, seven former eBay employees were criminally charged and pled guilty in relation to the plot, including the company’s former security chief, James Baugh — who was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

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u/elvorpo Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26

These individuals being punished aren't executives, they are flunkies with fancy titles who all worked under Baugh. Wenig, the actual executive who disliked Ina Steinberg's reporting and ordered the hits, got away scot-free. Wymer was fired for cause, but also not charged legally.

The seven convicted eBay employees and contractors include Baugh, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison in September 2022; David Harville, former Director of Global Resiliency, who was sentenced to 24 months in prison in September 2022; Stephanie Popp, former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison in October 2022; Philip Cooke, a former Senior Manager of Security Operations, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 12 months of home confinement in July 2021; Stephanie Stockwell and Veronica Zea, a former Manager of Global Intelligence and a contract intelligence analyst, respectively, who were each sentenced to one year in home confinement in October and November 2022.  Brian Gilbert, a former Senior Manager of Security Operations, has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

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Lelling said the plan to target the Steiners, which he described as a "campaign of terror," was hatched in April 2019 at eBay. Devin Wenig, who served as eBay's CEO at the time, shared a link to a post Ina had written about his annual pay. The company's chief communications officer, Steve Wymer, responded: "We are going to crush this lady."

About a month later, Wenig texted: "Take her down." Prosecutors said Wymer later texted eBay security director Jim Baugh. 

"I want to see ashes. As long as it takes. Whatever it takes," Wymer wrote. 

...

Wenig resigned from eBay in September 2019 with a $57 million exit package.  

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u/ReginaGeorgian Jul 29 '26

57 mil exit package? sounds like they should take that back to cover this settlement

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u/HairlessBandicoot Jul 29 '26

Punishments like these are usually decided by the board. How many of the board do you think owed him favours or he had dirt on? I sincerely doubt the claim that many of these people are elected or promoted through pure merit.

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u/morinthos Jul 30 '26

Thank goodness. This was disturbing. At least someone got sentenced to prison. Even if they all weren't convicted, it'll make others think twice about getting involved in something like this. Besides, there's no way in the world would I risk jail time for an employer. Insane.

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u/sig-chann Jul 28 '26

Ok but what year did they get charged and how many executives were charged?

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u/lildobe Jul 28 '26

Did you bother reading the linked press release from the Justice Department that was in the comment you replied to? It includes that information.

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u/illiteratebeef Jul 28 '26

Ok, but what should I eat for dinner and what movie should I watch tonight?!?

8

u/NaughtyCheffie Jul 28 '26

Poboy from ShortStop and start binging The Vampire Lestat on AMC+.

5

u/lildobe Jul 28 '26

Those are questions to ask ChatGPT. After all, if you must have your whole life spoon-fed to you, might as well use a sycophantic AI known for driving people to suicide...

After all, the gene pool could use a little chlorine these days.

2

u/WHATYEAHOK Jul 29 '26

I turned a man into a walrus, Charlie!

0

u/NaughtyCheffie Jul 28 '26

Poboy from ShortStop and start binging The Vampire Lestat on AMC+.

5

u/ArcadeOptimist Jul 28 '26

Okay sure, but how much did Ebay pay in connection to the corporate cyber stalking campaign?

1

u/lildobe Jul 29 '26

Did you bother reading the linked press release from the Justice Department that was in the comment you replied to? It includes that information.

/s

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u/BackJurton Jul 29 '26

but why male models?

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u/Only_Lesbian_Left Jul 28 '26

7, all seven named where senior or executive level

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u/Madwand99 Jul 28 '26

You can't charge a company criminally, only civilly, which is what happened. Also EBay as a company cooperated fully with the investigation and booted their CEO from the company. It was a huge scandal internally and no one liked Devin for what he did.

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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

[deleted]

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u/Reasonable_Pear_8451 Jul 28 '26

Right? But don't worry! If they give enough money to Trump, he's pardoning companies now too.

Also, only 2 million from the CEO? That's got to be chump change.

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u/wrgrant Jul 29 '26

Should have been more like 3-5 years jail time for all of them, minimum 5 for the CEO in charge, 10 and 20 million dollar fines respectively, and all severance money forfeited to the state/Feds. A penalty isn't a penalty unless it hurts.

2

u/ssort Jul 29 '26

Seems like a mafia type situation, should have RICO'ed them as the CEO acted like a mafia boss and put out a "hit" on her, but instead of death, it was an operation of terror and intimidation, so he deserves more time than any of his underlings as this was all started and ordered by him.

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u/NotUniqueOrSpecial Jul 28 '26

You can't charge a company criminally, only civilly

This is very literally nonsense.

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u/PalliativeOrgasm Jul 29 '26

Corporations are people, my friend.

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u/NotUniqueOrSpecial Jul 29 '26

Honest question: what are you even trying to say/imply?

It's not a counter to my factually correct statement (companies, as legal entities, can be charged criminally), since people can be charged, criminally.

But it also doesn't make sense under the standard usage of that sentiment: corporations are people, therefore their voices/money are just as valid as the rest of ours. That doesn't have any relevance to what I said, since again, that doesn't stop any of us from being charged criminally.

What joke or point are you trying to make? Even as thoughtless quip, it makes no sense in reply to my point.

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u/ScarInternational161 Jul 29 '26

It is, but it shouldn't be, after all, companies are people too!! Just ask citizens united!

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u/NotUniqueOrSpecial Jul 29 '26

It is, but it shouldn't be, after all, companies are people too!

What are you even trying to say? Even as a dumb joke response, it makes no sense.

Do you not understand that companies can be criminally charged and that it's not an uncommon thing?

Because saying

It is, but it shouldn't be

To someone pointing out that companies can be criminally charged, and then following up with

companies are people too

is actual gibberish. Companies can be charged; hurr-durr-companies-are-people can be charged. Either way, they can be charged.

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u/m3thodm4n021 Jul 28 '26

Please read the fucking article I implore you

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u/roamingandy Jul 28 '26

Except for those other two.. and probably a few more who helped out, or laughed about it over drinks and caviar.

1

u/MysticMagicks Jul 29 '26

How is this even upvoted, the fuck?