5th former eBay employee pleads guilty in harassment scheme

A former supervisor of security operations for eBay Inc’s European and Asian offices pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in a cyberstalking campaign that included having live spiders and other disturbing deliveries sent to a Massachusetts couple who published an online newsletter critical of the online auction site.

Philip Cooke, 55, of San Jose, California, a former police captain, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses, according to a statement from federal prosecutors in Boston.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 24. Each charge carries a maximum of five years in prison.