A couple in Natick, Massachusetts, is suing the e-commerce giant eBay after being targeted by a serious harassment and stalking campaign led by eBay employees in 2019.
Ina and David Steiner are suing the company for “orchestrating a systematic campaign to emotionally and psychologically torture” them, according to a press release. The suit also accuses the company of using its power to “terrorize and silence journalists,” the statement said.
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The Steiners began receiving disturbing messages and packages sent to their home from eBay employees in 2019 after the couple criticized the company in their newsletter, EcommerceBytes. The packages included a range of items, including live insects, a funeral wreath, and a bloody pig face Halloween mask. The employees also sent pornographic magazines with the husband's name on it to their neighbor's house and planned to break into the couple's garage to install a GPS device on their car, prosecutors said in June 2020.
The employees allegedly involved in the scheme were James Baugh, eBay’s former Senior Director of Safety and Security; Stephanie Popp, a senior manager of global intelligence; Stephanie Stockwell, an intelligence analyst; Veronica Zea, a contractor; Brian Gilbert, a senior manager of special operations; and David Harville, former director of global resiliency.
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In November, Baugh and Harville were indicted on charges including stalking through interstate travel. The five other employees pleaded guilty in the case.
The Steiners will be represented by Rosemary Scapicchio, the well-known Boston attorney who was highlighted in the recent Netflix series, “Trial 4." The couple will hold a press conference Wednesday at 11 a.m. outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston.
