Two former eBay executives sentenced to prison for involvement in cyberstalking scheme

Two former eBay executives were sentenced to prison Thursday for their involvement in a cyberstalking scheme that targeted a couple behind an e- commerce website that was perceived as critical of the company.

The former senior director of safety and security at eBay, James Baugh, was sentenced to almost five years in prison, while the former director of global resilience, David Harville, was sentenced to two years.

The editor and publisher of a website closely followed by online sellers was the target of a campaign hatched by eBay executives. According to prosecutors, the executives were told to go after the couple by the former eBay CEO after he and other leaders inside the company were angry with their coverage of the company.

The harassment campaign was meant to intimidate the Steiners and influence their reporting on the company.

The couple received threatening and harassing messages from eBay executives. A book on surviving the death of a spouse, a bloody pig mask, a fetal pig, a funeral wreath and live insects were delivered to the home of the Steiners. There are online posts that invite people to experience sexual encounters at the victim's home.

Baugh, Harville, and other people traveled from California to watch the couple. They wanted to install a gps tracker on the vehicle, but the garage was locked, so Harville bought tools to break in.

The employees have pleaded guilty.

The toxic brand of online and real-world harassment, threats, and stalking was outrageous, cruel and defies any explanation because these men were seasoned and highly paid security executives backed by the resources of a Fortune 500 corporation. Their actions were reprehensible.

An eBay spokesman didn't reply to a request for comment. A request for comment was not returned.

Wenig resigned as CEO in the middle of the year. eBay, Wenig and Wymer have been sued by the Steiners. The case is still being worked on.

Everyone who played a role should be held accountable.

The organized retail crime is caused by the theft of goods on Amazon and Facebook.