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Former eBay executive to plead guilty to cyberstalking campaign targeting couple -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO – This illustration, taken July 13th 2021, shows the eBay app on a smartphone. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters), -An ex-security executive at eBay Inc (NASDAQ 🙂 plans to plead guilty in federal court to cyberstalking charges against a Massachusetts couple whose internet newsletter was critical of the ecommerce business.

James Baugh was an ex-director of safety and security at eBay. He is currently awaiting trial with another former executive. They are accused of harassing the couple via Twitter (NYSE.) as well as disturbing deliveries such live cockroaches and a bloody Halloween mask.

A federal judge scheduled Tuesday’s hearing to allow Baugh to plead guilty instead. His co-defendant David Harville (ex-director of global resilience at eBay) is still scheduled to stand trial on May 31.

William Fick is a Baugh attorney.

Baugh was one of seven ex-EBay workers charged with harassment against a married couple from Natick, Massachusetts behind EcommerceBytes in 2020.

According to Ina and David Steiner’s lawsuit against eBay, two former chief executive officers, Devin Wenig and, also, Devin Wenig had expressed dissatisfaction with the newsletter.

Prosecutors claimed that the Steiners began to receive harassing, anonymous messages via Twitter in August 2019. They also received disturbing deliveries to their house, which included spiders, fly larvae and a funeral wreath.

Prosecutors claimed that Baugh had planned to send threatening and violent messages to contractors and employees who report to him, and then traveled to Massachusetts with others to watch the couple.

Baugh, along with others, deleted all messages from their accounts on social media after learning of the investigation by Natick police. He also lied to eBay investigators, deniging that any employees had been involved.

Five more former eBay employees pleaded guilty. Wenig wasn’t charged but has maintained that he was unaware of the scheme. eBay claims it’s in settlement discussions with the couple.

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