The Justice Department has charged eBay with stalking, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice in a rare criminal case against a Silicon Valley company. The charges stem from eBay’s actions in 2019 to silence writers of an e-commerce newsletter that was critical of its behavior. The company will be under a deferred prosecution agreement and engaged an independent compliance monitor. They also agreed to pay a $3 million criminal penalty. The charges were broadened to include more eBay executives, including the CEO and chief communications officer. The company’s former chief executive at the time, Devin Wenig, had no comment. The individuals targeted said they were retaliated against for providing factual information that eBay’s executives didn’t like. Seven individuals from eBay’s corporate security team were arrested for their actions, and the company’s current CEO issued a statement saying their conduct was “wrong and reprehensible.” The victims are suing eBay, and their lawyer sees the criminal charges as a “step in the right direction.”
