Former Disney employee faces charges of Disney World menu manipulation and denial of service attacks

A man fired by Disney is facing allegations that he tampered with restaurant menus through unauthorized access to the menu technology Disney World used and was involved in denial-of-service attacks against a handful of employees.

These accusations were made in a court file filed last week in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida for a criminal complaint alleging that Michael Scheuer “manipulated the menus of restaurants owned and operated by Company A” by hacking into the servers of the tool that describes the company as a “media and entertainment company,” used for its restaurants.

According to the filing, the former Disney employee “allegedly manipulated the allergen information on menus by adding information to some allergen notices that indicated certain menu items were safe for people with peanut allergies, when in fact they could be fatal for people with peanut allergies.” He also allegedly “changed prices” and put “profanity” in menus.

Scheuer, a former “menu production manager” who was fired in mid-June for alleged “misconduct,” allegedly did this using a personal computer, according to the documents.

404 Media and court watch reported Wednesday that “Company A” was Disney World, which Sheuer’s attorney, David Haas, also told FOX Business. FOX Business has reached out Disney for comment regarding the lawsuit and Scheuer’s alleged actions.

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According to the documents, none of the doctored menus went to restaurants.

Meanwhile, the denial-of-service attacks Scheuer allegedly committed affected more than a dozen Disney employees, locking them out of their accounts, the filing said.

Haas told FOX Business that the criminal charges “recognize that no one was injured or harmed by menu changes. He “looks forward to strongly presenting my client’s side of the story.”

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“Mr. Scheuer has a mental disability that has impacted his work at Disney. He also had a medical event that resulted in his suspension,” the attorney said. “Disney subsequently did not respond to his questions about why he was being suspended and his suspension was inexplicably changed to a termination. Disney refused to answer why he was fired and made no adjustments for his disability. Subsequently, he filed an EEOC complaint.”

The investigation into the cyberattacks included an FBI search of Scheuer’s home, during which he denied both involvement and wrongdoing, the court said.

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Disney saw an estimated $150,000 in damages as a result of Scheuer’s alleged actions, according to the filing. They are said to have occurred over a period of three months.

Disney world is one of twelve Disney theme parks in six locations worldwide. Tens of millions of people visit the Florida park every year.

Disney’s parks and experiences brought the company $28.15 billion in revenue in 2023.