Photo credit: eBay

Six former employees of e-commerce giant eBay have been indicted by law enforcement for “leading a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company.” Namely, the six executives are; James Baugh, eBay’s former Senior Director of Safety & Security; David Harville, eBay’s former Director of Global Resiliency; Stephanie Popp, eBay’s former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence; Stephanie Stockwell, the former manager of eBay’s Global Intelligence Center (GIC); Veronica Zea, an ex-eBay contractor; and Brian Gilbert, a former Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay’s Global Security Team. They are all charged with “conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses”

As made known by a press statement issued by the Justice Department, the victims of the alleged cyberstalking campaign were a couple who ran and published an online newsletter that covers e-commerce companies, eBay included. The couple remains unnamed. The six indicted former eBay employees allegedly executed a three-part harassment campaign against the couple in response to content published in their online newsletter. It’s alleged that several of the indicted ex-employees ordered seemingly disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a preserved fetal pig, a bloody pig Halloween mask, a funeral wreath, and a book on surviving the loss of a spouse. It’s also alleged they ordered pornography addressed to the male victim but sent to his neighbors’ homes. These orders were said to be the first part of the harassment campaign.

As for the second, some of the indicted former eBay employees allegedly sent private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the content of the concerned online newsletter and also threatened to visit the victims in their hometown of Natick, Massachusetts. The third phase allegedly involved “covertly surveilling” the victims in their home and community.

The six indicted persons are scheduled to make court appearances in federal court in the city of Boston. Their charges 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.