eBay pays $46M to journalists it targeted in bizarre harassment campaign

# eBay pays $46M to journalists it targeted in bizarre harassment campaign Source: [https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/07/ebay-former-execs-pay-56m-to-settle-bloody-pig-mask-harassment-case/) ## Other former execs went to prison The main settlement with eBay and former executives did not have any confidentiality restrictions, and it required eBay to “issue a strongly\-worded public statement regarding the conduct” of the executives “and the culture of the company in 2019,” the Steiners’ law firm said\. eBay issued that[statement](https://www.ebayinc.com/stories/news/ebay-statement-regarding-agreement-with-ina-and-david-steiner/)today, saying that “what the Steiners were subjected to by former eBay employees in 2019 was wrong, reprehensible and should never have happened\. We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the employees who perpetrated and pled guilty to criminal charges for the misconduct against Ina and David Steiner\. We also acknowledge the unprofessional tone in internal communications demonstrated, to different degrees and number, by Mr\. Wenig, Mr\. Wymer, and Ms\. Jones\.” eBay said that since the 2019 events, “new leaders have joined the company and eBay has strengthened its policies, procedures, controls and training consistent with the company’s ongoing commitment to uphold high standards of conduct and ethics\.” Seven former eBay employees and contractors[pleaded guilty](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/ex-ebay-employees-to-plead-guilty-in-bloody-pig-mask-cyberstalking-case/), and[prison sentences](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ex-ebay-security-execs-imprisoned-for-stalking-journalists-who-cover-ebay/)were issued to former eBay security executives James Baugh \(57 months\), David Harville \(24 months\), Philip Cooke \(18 months\), and Stephanie Popp \(12 months\)\. Two[others](https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/final-defendant-ebay-cyberstalking-case-sentenced)received a year in home confinement and another was sentenced to time served and a year of supervised release\. ## “I want to see ashes… Whatever it takes” Wenig and Wymer were not charged criminally but were accused in the civil lawsuit of giving employees “carte blanche authority” to carry out the harassment campaign\. “Defendants Wenig and Wymer provided the other Defendants with carte blanche authority to terminate the reporting of the Steiners by whatever means necessary, with Defendant Wymer expressing ‘…I want to see ashes\. As long as it takes\. Whatever it takes\.’ Defendant Wymer promised the Defendants he would, ’embrace managing any bad fallout’ if the plan went south, further directing, ‘We need to STOP her,’” the[lawsuit](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.236568/gov.uscourts.mad.236568.1.0.pdf)filed in 2021 said\.