Convicted eBay Cyberstalker Blames Alcoholism, Seeks Leniency
- Security manager is being sentenced for role in cyberstalking
- ‘Was typical to take morning shots of alcohol with co-workers’
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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.