A Florida man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for launching a series of cyberattacks against Walt Disney World following his termination, including attempts to falsify allergen information that could have endangered guests.
Michael Scheuer, 40, of Winter Garden, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed after pleading guilty to knowingly transmitting a program, code, or command to a protected computer and intentionally causing damage, as well as committing aggravated identity theft.
The court ordered Scheuer to forfeit his computer and pay $687,776.50 in restitution to Disney.
According to the New York Times, Scheuer’s attacks included manipulating allergen information in restaurant menus to falsely indicate food items were safe for customers with certain allergies when they were not. None of these changes ever reached the public or printing stage, according to court records.
Scheuer also altered menu information related to wine regions to reference locations of recent mass shootings and launched denial-of-service attacks designed to lock certain company employees out of their accounts.
“Formidable relationships with the private sector are a pillar of the FBI’s Cyber Strategy. Through the strength in our partnerships, our Cyber Task Force swiftly identified Mr. Scheuer and disrupted his ability to continue threatening the public,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Tampa Division Orlando Resident Agency Criminal Intrusion Cyber Squad and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. Sowell.
While the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release did not name Disney World as the employer, the New York Times confirmed the identity of the company targeted in the attacks.
