A Central Florida man was recently sentenced to federal prison for conducting a series of cyber intrusions against his former employer, reportedly Disney.
U.S. District Judge Julie S. Sneed sentenced 40-year-old Michael Scheuer, of Winter Garden, to three years in federal prison for knowingly transmitting a program, code, or command to a protected computer and intentionally causing damage and for committing aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Scheuer to forfeit his computer, which was used to commit the offenses, and to pay $687,776.50 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.
According to court documents, Scheuer conducted a series of computer intrusions or attacks directed at his former employer following his termination. These intrusions included manipulating allergen information in restaurant menus to indicate that food items were safe for customers with certain allergies, when they were not. Scheuer also altered menu information related to wine regions to reflect locations of recent mass shootings. Additionally, Scheuer 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. “We are committed to safeguarding a robust Cyber Strategy to unmask malicious cyber actors to ensure justice is served.”
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Tampa Division Orlando Resident Agency Criminal Intrusion Cyber Squad. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. Sowell. Scheuer pleaded guilty on January 29, 2025.
