Orlando, FL – Michael Scheuer, a 40-year-old Winter Garden man and former Disney employee, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for cybercrimes. These crimes include intentionally damaging a protected computer and committing aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed also ordered Scheuer to forfeit his computer, which was used in the crimes, and to pay $687,776.50 in restitution to his victims. Scheuer had pleaded guilty to these charges on January 29, 2025.
Scheuer’s offenses involved a series of cyberattacks against his former employer, Walt Disney, after his dismissal. These attacks included altering allergen information on restaurant menus to falsely indicate that items were safe for allergy sufferers and changing menu details about wine regions to reflect locations of recent mass shootings. Additionally, he executed denial-of-service attacks that locked certain company employees out of their accounts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tampa Division Orlando Resident Agency Criminal Intrusion Cyber Squad led the investigation. Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Tampa Division, Matthew Fodor, emphasized the importance of partnerships with the private sector in the FBI’s Cyber Strategy. “Through our strong partnerships, our Cyber Task Force swiftly identified Mr. Scheuer and disrupted his ability to continue threatening the public,” Fodor stated. “We are committed to a robust Cyber Strategy to unmask malicious cyber actors and ensure justice is served.”
