Former eBay Supervisor Sentenced To 18 Months in Prison For Cyberstalking Case Targeting Natick Couple (bostonglobe.com) 14
A former security supervisor at eBay received an 18-month federal prison sentence Tuesday for his role in a bizarre campaign of cyberstalking aimed at a Natick couple that ran an online newsletter often critical of the e-commerce giant, authorities said. The Boston Globe: The ex-supervisor, Philip Cooke, 56, of San Jose, Cali., had pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston in October 2020 to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with a witness, legal filings show. On Tuesday, prosecutors said, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison, as well as three years of supervised release including a 12-month period of home detention. He was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, according to the US attorney's office.
Cooke was one of seven former eBay employees charged in connection with the stalking, which authorities said targeted Ina and David Steiner, a Natick couple who recently filed a federal lawsuit against the company and other parties linked to the harrassment. Rosemary Scapicchio, a prominent Boston attorney representing the couple in their civil suit, said via phone after Monday's hearing that her clients "were relieved" that Cooke received time behind bars, calling it "the first step in their pursuit of accountability" for all those involved. "There needs to be corporate accountability" as well, Scapicchio said.
Cooke was one of seven former eBay employees charged in connection with the stalking, which authorities said targeted Ina and David Steiner, a Natick couple who recently filed a federal lawsuit against the company and other parties linked to the harrassment. Rosemary Scapicchio, a prominent Boston attorney representing the couple in their civil suit, said via phone after Monday's hearing that her clients "were relieved" that Cooke received time behind bars, calling it "the first step in their pursuit of accountability" for all those involved. "There needs to be corporate accountability" as well, Scapicchio said.
How high was this ex-supervisor? (Score:5, Insightful)
The C-Suite justifies its outsize pay-checks and bonuses by claiming it is responsible for results. It is their job to know whether or not the employees are achieving their performance quotas by fair or unfair means, whether or not the employees are following the company policies are not.
We have given private corporations the rights meant for individuals and citizens. But, unlike flesh and blood citizens, the corporations can't go go jail. The only way to justify giving such rights to corporations is jail the executives when the corporation violates the law.
The limited liability corporation has limited liability only on civil/financial issues. For criminal conduct, the board should not have any limitation in liability. The board should be fined and sent to jail.
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Not sure about that guy specifically, but this thing went all the way up to the CEO who was directly involved in approving the general plan.
I'm reminded of (Score:2)
I'm reminded of an opening bit of, I think, a This American Life episode where they're talking to some career prosecutor about how in law school you are told how you will never see companies get together and literally carve up a market... only he was part of a sting operation that recorded a number of different company executives doing exactly that.
You always think about how most of the time people in the C-Suite seem utterly divorced from the reality on the ground at a company and they're just looking to p
Just 18 months? (Score:2)
Only 18 months? Whatever happened to sending terrorists to the Florence supermax?
This guy oversaw a campaign of terror; what makes him different from the Unibomber and other dangerous fruitcakes who get life?
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No one died.
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Ok, granted.
But still: Ten or twenty years seems to be what most people convicted of terrorism offences get if the conspiracy is quashed before anyone gets killed.
Except this guy, for some reason.
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The nine months was the highest sentence they could hand out without the scape goat turning over the executives who made the actual decision, the rest of the payment in a tax haven some where probably (you know auto-good behaviour release.)
what is a 'Natick Couple'? (Score:2)
and why is 'Natick' important to this story? So many possibilities: Natick might be an exciting new form of sexual deviance or maybe a newly discovered tribe in the Amazon jungle or perhaps a persecuted religious group from the foothills in Tennessee. No don't tell me what it means; it's more fun to speculate.
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and why is 'Natick' important to this story? So many possibilities: Natick might be an exciting new form of sexual deviance or maybe a newly discovered tribe in the Amazon jungle or perhaps a persecuted religious group from the foothills in Tennessee. No don't tell me what it means; it's more fun to speculate.
The story is from the Boston Globe. Natick is a Boston suburb. Someone from Boston would understand the reference.
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I think it means nonbinary bipocs.
Everyone lives in Massachusetts (Score:2)
How else would a local news headline from Boston make sense on a site with an international audience?
Maybe I'll see y'all in the Stop n Shop tomorrow?
"Corporate responsibility" (Score:2)
Translation: "I ought to get paid fatly."