eBay has reached a settlement to pay a $3 million (£2.36 million) fine in connection with harassment charges targeting bloggers who were critical of the company. According to court documents, eBay executives, including former senior director Jim Baugh, orchestrated a campaign against Ina and David Steiner, sending live spiders and cockroaches to their residence due to their production of the newsletter EcommerceBytes, which was disapproved by the company’s leadership.
The harassment left the Steiners “emotionally, psychologically, and physically” traumatized, as outlined in filings by the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts. Baugh and six associates engaged in a series of intimidations, including sending live insects, a foetal pig, and a funeral wreath to the Steiners’ home in Natick, Massachusetts. They also installed a GPS tracking device on the couple’s car and posted invitations for sexual encounters at their residence on Craigslist.
The individuals responsible for these acts were terminated by eBay shortly after the incident. In 2021, Philip Cooke, an eBay employee, received an 18-month prison sentence, and the following year, Baugh was sentenced to nearly five years.
Baugh’s defense argued that he faced pressure from former eBay CEO Devin Wenig to control the Steiners’ coverage of the company. Wenig, who stepped down in 2019, has not been charged in the case and denies any knowledge of the harassment campaign.
Commenting on the matter, acting Massachusetts US Attorney Josh Levy stated, “eBay engaged in absolutely horrific, criminal conduct.” He described the campaign as a “petrifying” effort by eBay employees and contractors to silence the Steiners’ reporting and protect the eBay brand.