eBay has agreed to pay a $3 million criminal fine for harassing a couple in Massachusetts who published a newsletter that occasionally expressed negative opinions about the corporation. The harassment campaign included the shipping of live cockroaches.
A gory pig mask, a fetal pig, live insects, and a funeral wreath were among the unsettling parcels that many eBay employees sent to Ina and David Steiner’s house in 2019. The firm was also accused of stalking, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. As a result, eBay was charged with six criminal charges.
The $3 million settlement, which was revealed on Thursday, is the statutory maximum penalties for eBay’s allegations, according to a statement from the US attorney’s office in Massachusetts.
In the statement, eBay’s actions were described as “absolutely horrific” by Joshua Levy, the state’s acting US attorney.
“The company’s campaign participants, including its contractors and employees”