eBay has agreed to pay $3 million in reference to a 2019 harassment marketing campaign directed at a Massachusetts couple that had been essential of the e-commerce website. The US Division of Justice introduced the utmost felony penalty on Thursday and stated the corporate dedicated six felony offenses.
Particularly, the DOJ charged eBay with two counts of stalking by interstate journey, two counts of stalking by digital communications companies, one depend of witness tampering, and one depend of obstruction of justice. The fees stem from a heinous harassment marketing campaign carried out by a gaggle of seven eBay staff, a few of whom have been firm executives.
In 2019, the workers got here up with a plan to focus on Ina and David Steiner, a pair who ran an e-commerce e-newsletter that lined eBay with a essential lens. Along with sending the pair on-line threats, the workers visited the couple’s dwelling to conduct surveillance and despatched them grotesque objects, together with a bloody pig masks, a funeral wreath, stay bugs, and a e-book about getting by the demise of a partner. Former eBay safety director James Baugh and the corporate’s former director of worldwide resiliency have been sentenced to jail in 2022, whereas the 5 remaining staff have been additionally charged.
“eBay engaged in absolutely horrific, criminal conduct,” Performing US Legal professional Joshua S. Levy stated in an announcement. “The company’s employees and contractors involved in this campaign put the victims through pure hell, in a petrifying campaign aimed at silencing their reporting and protecting the eBay brand.”
As a part of the deferred prosecution settlement, the DOJ is requiring that eBay retain a company compliance monitor for 3 years and “make extensive enhancements to its compliance program.” eBay responded to the settlement in a publish on its web site, writing it “takes responsibility for the misconduct of its former employees.”
“The company’s conduct in 2019 was wrong and reprehensible,” eBay CEO Jamie Iannone stated in an announcement. “From the moment eBay first learned of the 2019 events, eBay cooperated fully and extensively with law enforcement authorities… eBay remains committed to upholding high standards of conduct and ethics and to making things right with the Steiners.”
Replace January eleventh, 2:10PM ET: Added a response from eBay.