Former eBay Executive to Plead Guilty to Criminal Charges in Cyberstalking Scandal

The eBay cyberstalking scandal continues to dog the company and today news comes out that James Baugh, eBay’s former senior director of safety and security, intends to plead guilty to federal charges.

Baugh was awaiting trial in Boston, but a federal judge on Tuesday scheduled a hearing for him to plead guilty on Friday at the request of his lawyers.

He and David Harville, eBay’s former director of global resiliency, were the only two defendants left among seven former eBay workers who were charged in 2020 with harassing the owners of an online blog who frequently criticized the company that had not pleaded guilty.

Baugh and Harville were indicted in November 2020 by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection to their involvement in the cyberstalking campaign. With Baugh’s apparent decision to take a guilty plea, Harville is the lone defendant remaining in this case and his trial still remains scheduled to start on May 31.

The owners of the blog that were harassed by the former eBay employees are said to be in settlement discussions with the company after filing a civil lawsuit in 2021 against eBay, two of its former top executives, the charged former employees, and other entities allegedly involved in the cyberstalking campaign.

Cyberstalking Campaign Changed Executive Management at eBay

The cyberstalking case is believed to have been the reason former eBay CEO Devin Wenig left the company in 2019, following the company’s internal investigation into the matter.

Also, eBay’s CCO Steven Wymer was terminated immediately following the board’s investigation, but Wenig was allowed to resign and depart the company with a golden parachute-style compensation.

There were no charges filed by the government against Wenig or Wymer in connection with this cyberstalking case. Both have denied any specific knowledge of the actions taken by the seven former eBay workers but are listed in the blog owner’s civil suit.

Wenig tried to be removed from the civil case but his name still appears on the lawsuit.

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