A former eBay Inc. safety government intends to plead responsible to federal expenses that he deliberate a cyberstalking marketing campaign that focused a Massachusetts couple whose on-line e-newsletter was seen as important of the e-commerce firm.
James Baugh, eBay’s former senior director of security and safety, had been awaiting trial in Boston with one other ex-executive accused of serving to harass the couple by way of Twitter and with disturbing deliveries like a bloody Halloween pig masks and dwell cockroaches.
On the request of Baugh’s legal professionals, a federal choose on Tuesday scheduled a listening to for him to as an alternative plead responsible on April 25. A Could 31 trial stays scheduled for his co-defendant, David Harville, eBay’s former director of world resiliency.
William Fick, a lawyer for Baugh, declined to remark.
Baugh is one in every of seven former eBay employees who have been charged in 2020 with harassing the married couple in Natick, Massachusetts, behind the e-newsletter EcommerceBytes.
They did so after two prime executives, together with former Chief Govt Officer Devin Wenig, expressed frustration with the e-newsletter, in line with prosecutors and a lawsuit the couple, David and Ina Steiner, filed towards eBay.
Prosecutors mentioned the Steiners in August 2019 started receiving nameless, harassing non-public messages on Twitter and disturbing deliveries to their house that additionally included fly larvae, spiders and a funeral wreath.
Prosecutors mentioned Baugh deliberate the threatening messages and deliveries with workers and contractors who reported to him and traveled with some to Massachusetts to surveil the couple.
After studying that Natick police have been investigating, Baugh and others deleted messages from their social media accounts, and he lied to eBay investigators by denying that its workers have been concerned, prosecutors mentioned.
5 different former eBay employees have pleaded responsible. Wenig was not charged and has denied figuring out concerning the scheme. eBay has mentioned it’s in settlement talks with the couple.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Enhancing by Cynthia Osterman and Grant McCool)
Matters
Massachusetts
A very powerful insurance coverage information,in your inbox each enterprise day.
Get the insurance coverage trade’s trusted e-newsletter