Michael Scheuer, a former Disney employee, is set to plead guilty to two felony counts—computer fraud and aggravated identity theft—following accusations that he hacked into Disney's menu-creation software. Scheuer, who previously served as a menu production manager, was terminated last June and is now facing serious legal consequences for his actions. The plea agreement was filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida, revealing the extent of the changes he made, including altering fonts, making some pages blank, and modifying wine information.
Federal agents raided Scheuer's residence on September 23, leading to his agreement to plead guilty in the coming weeks. His lawyer, David Haas, confirmed that Scheuer will accept responsibility for his conduct and is prepared to face potential penalties.
"Mr. Scheuer is prepared to accept responsibility for his conduct" – David Haas, Scheuer's lawyer
The plea agreement details that Scheuer's unauthorized access to the menu software included inserting inappropriate symbols such as "a swastika" into a menu. More alarmingly, he allegedly manipulated allergen information, falsely indicating that certain food items were safe for individuals with severe allergies. The changes "focused on peanut, tree nut, shellfish, and milk allergens," which could have led to dangerous, if not fatal, outcomes for unsuspecting customers.
"Scheuer added notations to menu items indicating they were safe for people with specific allergies, which change could have had fatal consequences depending on the type and severity of a customer's allergy" – U.S. District Court in Orlando, Florida (plea agreement)
Scheuer's actions came after his objections to changes in Disney's system for creating menus led to his termination. The criminal complaint filed in October claimed that Scheuer accessed the software shortly after being fired and continued making unauthorized changes over a three-month period. His lawyer attributed these actions partly to mental health struggles that worsened following his firing.
"Unfortunately, he has mental health issues that were exacerbated when Disney fired him upon his return from paternity leave" – David Haas, Scheuer's lawyer
Despite the potentially hazardous nature of the alterations, Haas emphasized that no one was ever at risk of injury and expressed Scheuer's remorse for his actions.
"No one was ever at risk of injury and he is deeply remorseful for what happened" – David Haas, Scheuer's lawyer
Disney has since ceased using the third-party application that Scheuer breached. The attack targeted 14 employees, many of whom had interacted with Scheuer during his tenure at the company. While the monetary loss to Disney is still being calculated, it will significantly influence the range of recommended prison time for Scheuer. He is also expected to face a restitution order and fine upon sentencing.