6 of eBay's Former Global Security Team - Sr. Dir & Corp. Global Team - Plead Guilty in Fed Court
Former eBay Sr. Director of Safety & Security Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cyberstalking Campaign
James Baugh, 47, of San Jose, Calif., eBay’s former Senior Director of Safety & Security, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit stalking through interstate travel and through facilities of interstate commerce, two counts of stalking through interstate travel, two counts of stalking through facilities of interstate commerce, two counts of witness tampering and two counts of destruction, alteration and falsification of records in a federal investigation. U.S. District Court Judge scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2022.

In June 2020, Baugh was arrested and charged along with David Harville, eBay’s former Director of Global Resiliency. Co-conspirators and former eBay employees:

Philip Cooke -former supervisor of security operations for eBay’s European and Asian offices, sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in prison. (Philip Cooke DOJ Sentencing)

Brian Gilbert - former Senior Manager of Special Operations for eBay’s Global Security Team, pled guilty Oct 8, 2020 - awaiting sentencing

Stephanie Popp - former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence, pled guilty Oct 8, 2020 - awaiting sentencing

Veronica Zea - former eBay contractor who worked as an intelligence analyst in eBay’s Global Intelligence Center (GIC), pled guilty and awaiting sentencing.

Stephanie Stockwell - former manager of eBay’s GIC. Previously pleaded guilty on Oct, 27, 2020

David Harville has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

According to court documents, between approximately Aug. 5, 2019 and Aug. 23, 2020, Baugh and his co-conspirators at eBay agreed to engage in a harassment campaign targeting a husband and wife in Natick, Mass. for of their roles in publishing a newsletter that reported on issues of interest to eBay sellers. Senior executives at eBay were frustrated with the newsletter’s tone and content, and with the tone and content of comments posted beneath the newsletter’s articles. The harassment campaign arose from communications between those executives and Baugh, who was eBay’s senior security employee.

Baugh and his co-conspirators allegedly executed a three-part harassment campaign intended to intimidate the victims and to change the content of the newsletter’s reporting. The campaign included sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content and threatening to visit the victims in Natick; and traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and install a GPS tracking device on their car.

They did so after two top executives, including former Chief Executive Devin Wenig, expressed frustration with the newsletter, EcommerceBytes, according to prosecutors and a lawsuit the couple filed. Read more

The deliveries ordered to the victims’ home included a book on surviving the death of a spouse, a bloody pig mask, a fetal pig, a funeral wreath and live insects. The harassment also featured Craigslist posts inviting the public for sexual encounters at the victims’ home.

The threatening Twitter messages were written as if they had been sent by eBay sellers who were unhappy with the victims’ coverage in the newsletter. Some of these messages posted the victims’ address and threatened to visit the victims at their home.

The third phase of the campaign allegedly involved surveilling the victims in their home and community.On Aug. 15, 2019, Baugh and co-conspirators allegedly traveled from California to Natick to surveil the victims and to install a GPS tracking device on the victims’ car. The victims spotted the surveillance, however, and notified the Natick Police, who began to investigate.

Aware that the police were investigating, the defendants allegedly sought to interfere with the investigation. For example, Cooke and, allegedly, several of the other defendants discussed the possibility of presenting Natick Police with a false investigative lead to keep the police from discovering video evidence that could link some of the deliveries to eBay employees. 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 stalking and stalking each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. The charges of witness tampering and destruction, alteration and fabrication of records in a federal investigation each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. The witness tampering charges also carry the potential for forfeiture.

eBay provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the federal investigation. justice.gov


Here's the Daily's full coverage on the case from the beginning:

July 22, 2021: eBay's Top Execs Ordered 'Terrorism' Campaign, Couple Say

Nov. 4, 2020: Two Ex-eBay Security Executives Indicted on More Charges in Cyberstalking Scandal

Sept. 28, 2020: 'Inside eBay's Cockroach Cult: The Ghastly Story of a Stalking Scandal'

July 8, 2020: Seventh Former eBay Employee Charged in Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign

June 22, 2020: ● eBay's Former CEO Denies Any Link to Cyberstalking
● eBay's Two Efforts - Separate & Independent - Asset Protection & Global Security
● eBay corporate statement provided to the Daily

June 18, 2020: 'Having a Prosperous LP Career Without Compromising Ethical & Moral Standards'
- Op/Ed article by John Velke, SVP of Risk Management & Loss Prevention, Total Wine & More

June 17, 2020: EBay's Former PR Chief Is 'Executive 2' in Cyberstalking Indictment

June 16, 2020: What They're All Saying - The Story Behind the Story - eBay's Former CEO Directed His Rage?

June 15, 2020: Former Senior Director of Safety & Security & Other Global Security Team Members Arrested, Facing 5 Yrs Prison & 3 Yrs Supervised Release & $250,000 Fine

June 15, 2020 Special Report: "Emotionally & Psychologically Terrorizing Middle-Aged Couple"