EBay is set to pay $3 million to make right criminal charges brought about after several former employees sent cockroaches, spiders, and a fetal pig to a Massachusetts couple who wrote a critical newsletter about the company in 2019, according to NBC News.
The online retail and auction juggernaut was charged with two counts of stalking through interstate travel, two counts of stalking by electronic communications services, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
As a result, eBay has agreed to pay the penalty, which is the maximum amount that can be fined for the six felonies. Reports mentioned that the company will have to retain an independent corporate compliance monitor for three years and make substantial changes to its compliance program.
“eBay engaged in absolutely horrific, criminal conduct. The company’s employees and contractors involved in this campaign put the victims through pure hell, in a petrifying campaign aimed at silencing their reporting and protecting the eBay brand,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said.
“We left no stone unturned in our mission to hold accountable every individual who turned the victims’ world upside-down through a never-ending nightmare of menacing and criminal acts. The investigation led to felony convictions for seven individuals, all former eBay employees or contractors, and the ringleader was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison.”
“Today’s criminal resolution with the company imposes the maximum fine that the law allows under the statutes, holding eBay accountable for a corporate culture that led to this unprecedented stalking campaign,” Levy continued.
“The corporate monitoring of eBay will be in place for the next three years and will ensure that eBay’s senior leadership sets a tone that makes compliance with the law paramount, implements safeguards to prevent future criminal activity, and makes clear to every eBay employee that the idea of terrorizing innocent people and obstructing investigations will not be tolerated.”
EBay released a statement on Thursday, writing: “The company’s conduct in 2019 was wrong and reprehensible,” Jamie Iannone, Chief Executive Officer at eBay, said.
“From the moment eBay first learned of the 2019 events, eBay cooperated fully and extensively with law enforcement authorities. We continue to extend our deepest apologies to the Steiners for what they endured. Since these events occurred, new leaders have joined the company and eBay has strengthened its policies, procedures, controls and training. eBay remains committed to upholding high standards of conduct and ethics and to making things right with the Steiners.”
NBC News reported eBay admitted that from August 5 to August 23, 2019, eBay’s former senior director of safety and security, as well as six other members of the team, took aim at the victims, who resided in Natick.
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