Adrian
A federal judge has sentenced MICHAEL SCHEUER, a former Disney World employee, to three years in prison for hacking into the park’s menu system, removing critical peanut allergy information, adding profanities, and altering fonts. The 40-year-old Winter Garden, Florida resident will also forfeit his computers and pay $687,776.50 in restitution to the victims, as reported by Fox 35.
SCHEUER, who served as a menu production manager at Disney, was responsible for the creation and distribution of all restaurant menus, including digital versions. He pleaded guilty to the charges in January and was terminated from his position on June 13, 2024. According to a federal complaint, his firing was “contentious” and not amicable, with allegations that his actions posed significant risks to public health and safety.
The complaint detailed that SCHEUER removed life-saving allergy information, added profanities, and altered menu pricing. He also allegedly sent multiple log-in requests, locking more than a dozen employees out of their accounts. While none of his changes reached printed or digital menus, the damages exceeded $150,000.
The FBI raided SCHEUER‘s home on September 23, seizing at least four computers. Initially, SCHEUER denied any wrongdoing, claiming Disney was attempting to frame him due to the circumstances surrounding his termination.
His attorney, DAVID HAAS, stated that SCHEUER had a disability that impacted his employment at Disney. “He had a medical event that resulted in a suspension, and Disney failed to respond to his inquiries about the suspension, which was later changed to termination without explanation,” HAAS said. He added that SCHEUER had filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and intends to vigorously present his client’s side of the story.
SCHEUER was originally charged with knowingly causing the transmission of a program, information, code, or command to a protected computer and intentionally causing damage exceeding $5,000.
[Source: Fox 35](https://www.fox35orlando.com)
