eBay's Former Global Security Team Gets Fed. Prison For Harassing of Journalists
There's no parole in Federal prisons

Two Former eBay Employees Sentenced for Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign
BOSTON – Two former employees of eBay, Inc. were sentenced today for their roles in a cyberstalking campaign targeting the editor and publisher of a newsletter that eBay executives viewed as critical of the company.

Stephanie Popp, 34, of Louisville, Ky., eBay’s former Senior Manager of Global Intelligence, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and two years of probation. Stephanie Stockwell, 28, of Redwood City, Calif., the former manager of eBay’s Global Intelligence Center, was sentenced to two years of probation, with one year to be served in home confinement. Both sentences were imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young

On Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator James Baugh was sentenced to 57 months in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $40,000. Also on Sept. 29, 2022, co-conspirator David Harville was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000. Co-conspirators and former eBay employees Philip Cooke, Brian Gilbert and Veronica Zea previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy to cyberstalk the victims. Cooke was sentenced in July 2021 to 18 months in prison. Gilbert and Zea are awaiting sentencing.

Between approximately Aug. 5, 2019 and Sept. 6, 2019, Stockwell, Popp and their co-conspirators at eBay agreed to engage in a harassment campaign targeting a husband and wife in Natick, Mass. for 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 as well as the substance of comments posted beneath the newsletter’s articles. The harassment campaign arose from communications between those senior executives and Baugh, who was eBay’s senior security employee.

In August 2019, the defendants and their co-conspirators executed a three-part harassment campaign intended to intimidate the victims and to influence their reporting about eBay. The campaign included sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing the newsletter’s content; threats to visit the victims in Natick; and traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and installing a GPS tracking device on their car.

Stockwell, at Baugh’s direction, purchased a laptop for use in harassing the victims, and used an anonymous email account to order online live spiders and a prepaid debit card to purchase a late-night pizza delivery to the victims’ home. Other deliveries ordered to the victims’ home included a book on surviving the death of a spouse, a bloody pig mask, a fetal pig and a funeral wreath. Stockwell also prepared an eBay “Person of Interest” report for the Bay Area—a fictitious list of potential suspects to provide to the Natick Police Department to deflect the police from suspecting that eBay employees were actually harassing the victims.

As part of the second phase of the campaign, Popp sent private Twitter messages and public tweets, drafted or approved by Baugh, Gilbert, or Cooke, criticizing the newsletter’s content. 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’ home address and threats to show up at their home. The harassment also featured Craigslist posts inviting members of the public to experience sexual encounters at the victims’ home.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division; and Natick Police Chief James G. Hicks made the announcement today. eBay provided valuable assistance and cooperation with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Deputy Chief of Rollins’ Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit prosecuted the case.  justice.gov


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

September 29, 2022: Ex-eBay exec heading to prison for harassing couple behind newsletter

September 20, 2022: At eBay, Lurid Crimes and the Search for Punishmenting Campaign

April 26, 2022: Ex-eBay Sr. Director of Safety & Security Pleads Guilty to Role in Cyberstalking Campaigny

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"