Convicted eBay cyberstalker blames alcoholism, seeks leniency

Cooke, who joined EBay after his retirement from the Santa Clara Police, is one of seven ex-EBay employees accused of harassing a suburban Boston blogger and her husband in 2019. The campaign included anonymous threatening tweets and macabre deliveries, including a bloody pig mask and a book on surviving the death of a spouse. — eBay

A former EBay global security manager who admitted joining a bizarre cyberstalking campaign against an online critic blames alcoholism and a culture of heavy drinking at the company for his poor judgment and an incriminating “thumbs up” emoji he texted to a co-conspirator.

Philip Cooke, who joined EBay after his retirement from the Santa Clara Police, is one of seven ex-EBay employees accused of harassing a suburban Boston blogger and her husband in 2019. The campaign included anonymous threatening tweets and macabre deliveries, including a bloody pig mask and a book on surviving the death of a spouse.