An ex-Disney World employee has been sentenced to three years in prison for hacking and manipulating the famous theme park’s dining menus.
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According to federal court documents, Michael Scheuer, a former Disney World employee, started accessing the menu system in July 2024. This was after he was terminated for misconduct. Scheuer, 40, was previously a menu product manager before he was fired.
After being fired from Disney, Scheuer hacked into the software and made some of the menu pages inaccessible. He also changed fonts and added profanity on some of the pages.
The ex-Disney World employee then allegedly “manipulated the allergen information on menus. He added information to some allergen notifications that indicated certain menu items were safe for individuals with peanut allergies.”
Along with altering the Disney World menus, Scheuer launched denial-of-service attacks to deactivate 14 employee accounts. He hid his identity using a VPN.
Scheuer was further accused of altering information regarding wine regions in the menus.
The ex-Disney World employee will not only serve three years in prison for his crimes but also owe $687,776.50 in restitution. He will also be giving up his computer.
The Ex-Disney World Employee Was Remorseful of His Actions
Meanwhile, Scheuer’s lawyer, David Haas, claimed that he had a mental disability that led to a panic attack while he was working at Disney World.
Although he was initially suspended, he was then terminated by the House of Mouse not too long after. His attorney stated that he was “very remorseful” for his actions and apologized to the victims during the hearing.
“He is eager to get back home to his wife and three young daughters,” the attorney stated. “He was the sole earner in the family as his wife has a number of medical issues and homeschools their children, so he will look for work upon his release.”