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Federal prosecutors said James Baugh, age 47, of San Jose, CA, and David Harville, 50, of Las Vegas, "weaponized" the online auction giant's power and security services to silence the couple, but it didn't work.
Baugh, eBay's former senior director of safety and security, will serve 57 months in prison and pay a $40,000 fine, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Baugh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit stalking across state lines, two counts of witness tampering, and two charges of destruction, alteration, and falsification of records.
Meanwhile, David Harville, who served as the company's former director of global resiliency, was sentenced to two years in federal prison and a $20,000 fine. He admitted to several stalking charges, officials added.
Federal investigators said the men took issue with a newsletter that Ina and David Steiner published on their blog called eCommerceBytes, which covers online retail.
For a month in 2019, they sent the couple harassing messages on Twitter that included their home address and threats of violence, authorities said. They also posted Craigslist ads that invited people to the Steiners' home for sex.
In coordination with the online harassment, the men also mailed the couple roaches, spiders, fly larvae, a bloody pig mask, a fetal pig, a funeral wreathe, and a book about the death of a spouse, authorities said.
Baugh, Harville, and a co-conspirator purchased burglary tools and even planned to break into the Steiners' garage. However, the couple spotted them surveilling the house and called Natick police, the prosecutor said.
It took the Steiners a year to figure out who was behind the messages and "bizarre" packages, David Steiner said at Baugh's sentencing hearing on Thursday, Sept. 29, according to WCVB.
"This was a deliberate attempt to destroy us," Ina Steiner told the judge.
“What eBay – the defendant and other co-conspirators, both indicted and unindicted – did to us has changed me forever, and I don’t think the old David is coming back,” David Steiner added, according to The Guardian.
Baugh and Harville deleted evidence when they found out that police were investigating the harassment, lied to investigators, and altered records to cover their tracks, authorities said. Baugh later apologized for terrifying the Steiners during his sentencing hearing.
"I take 100 percent responsibility for this, and there is no excuse," Baugh said, per WCVB. "I'm sorry that I hurt you when I should have been protecting you."
Four former eBay employees have pleaded guilty in the case. Baugh was the last to be sentenced, but his days in court are likely not over. The Steiners said they plan to sue, according to WCVB.
"Mr. Baugh and Mr. Harville used the internet’s power to harass and intimidate a couple who did nothing — nothing — other than publish content that our First Amendment protects," US Attorney for Massachusetts Rachel Rollins said. "Their behavior was reprehensible. This should serve as a strong reminder to all that holding positions of wealth and privilege does not absolve or shield criminals from accountability and incarceration."
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