10 Worst Criminals Who Worked for Disney

10 Worst Criminals Who Worked for Disney

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most notorious criminals that the House of Mouse has ever employed.

Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes

In October 2017, the Disney Wonder cruise ship docked in San Diego, where merchandise host Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes was arrested. A Brazilian citizen, Gomes confessed to committing wire fraud using the Verifone sale system. Embezzling over $260,000, he made unauthorized charges to his Disney bank account, transferring funds to more than 200 Disney gift cards. He ripped off Disney in more ways than one, using over $37,000 of the misappropriated funds to take his family on a lavish Disney World vacation. Accepting a plea deal, Gomes was ordered to pay back Disney in addition to surrendering a stolen watch and more than $1,000 found in his cabin. He was also sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Patrick Spikes

Known as “BackDoorDisney,” Patrick Spikes allowed followers to experience the Magic Kingdom from an employee’s perspective. In July 2018, Spikes entered the Disney utilidor system with his cousin Blaytin Taunton, who used a fake ID with the name Jack D. Marrow. They pulled off a Haunted Mansion heist, stealing clothing and props valued at $7,000. The plot thickened when Spikes got into an altercation with the authorities over his phone, which was supposedly used to text photos of clothes from a stolen Epcot animatronic named Buzzy. In May 2019, Spikes was arrested for stealing roughly $14,000 in Disney merch, which sold online for more than $30,000. While the cousins avoided prison, they received fines, probation, and community service along with Disney bans.

Michael Scheuer

A former menu production manager for Disney, Michael Scheuer was fired in June 2024 for “misconduct.” Following Scheuer’s termination, Disney’s menu system was hacked, adding profanity, changing pricing, and, most seriously, removing potentially life-saving information about allergies. Multiple Disney employees were also locked out of their accounts. Disney thankfully realized something was off before the menus could reach the masses, but the ordeal still cost the company more than $150,000. The cyberattack was traced to Scheuer, who insisted he was innocent when the FBI raided his home in September 2024. By the following January, though, he pleaded guilty. Aside from being ordered to pay over $600,000 in damages, Scheuer was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Just desserts were on the menu.

Christina Baldwin

During the summer of 1996, Michael Watts and Jarrod Brown were arrested for committing armed robbery in Disney World’s underground tunnel system. While nobody was shot, thousands in restaurant receipts were stolen. Since this hidden system is closed to the public, authorities suspected that the thieves had somebody on the inside. Enter Christina Baldwin, a teenage Disney employee who was subsequently arrested on conspiracy charges. Baldwin was responsible for carrying the stolen money through the tunnels, according to Deputy Mike Pagan. Her stepbrother, Sean Cooley, was also implicated. In December that year, Cooley was sentenced to more than six years in prison, while Watts got over three. As for Baldwin, she was held at the Orlando Regional Juvenile Detention Center and naturally lost her job.

Matthew Solice

An employee at Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Matthew Solice called 911 in August 2018, claiming that he had strangled his wife Amy to death upon learning of an affair. The altercation reportedly took place after Solice returned from work one night. Although no longer living together, his estranged wife was watching their son at Solice’s apartment. When the subject of adultery came up, things escalated with Solice reportedly grabbing her neck. Solice called his mother before contacting the police, who found Amy unconscious at the scene. She was rushed to the hospital, but died after two days. Disney promptly severed ties with Solice, who had bigger problems. In December 2020, Solice received a life sentence for second-degree murder.

Frederick M. Pohl

In 2019, Frederick M. Pohl, Jr. arrived at a Days Inn not far from where he worked as a Disney World ride attendant. He showed up with condoms and a pink dress meant for a little girl. Pohl thought he had been chatting online with a minor and her father, planning to meet at the hotel. Instead, investigators arrested him. It turned out that Pohl had actually been sending inappropriate photos and messages to a federal agent tasked with catching online predators. Although this was his first prosecution, Pohl had been investigated for predatory behavior in the past. This supposedly eluded Disney, who fired Pohl after employing him for nearly a decade. Upon pleading guilty that August, Pohl received a 20-year prison sentence in December.

Larry Neal Oliver’s Killers

In 1995, several individuals were implicated in the murder of Larry Neal Oliver. The suspects shared something else in common: The Mouse. Charissa Wilburn, who played Pluto at Disney World, and Mark Tocci, another Disney employee, accepted plea deals in exchange for admitting their involvement. Wilburn hid a shotgun nicknamed “Betsy” with a towel, but it was Jermaine “Bugsy” Gleason/LeBron who ended Oliver’s life. Oliver had been lured to a house where he was promised cheap truck parts. Bugsy robbed and murdered Oliver while the others helped cover up the crime, leaving his body near Disney World. It wasn’t long until most of them confessed, being charged as accessories. Bugsy, meanwhile, was charged with first-degree murder. He’s currently serving life in prison without parole.

Brian Peck

Brian Peck is infamous for sexually abusing Drake Bell during his time at Nickelodeon. Following his 2003 arrest, Peck got a 16-month prison sentence, which many found too lenient. The press barely covered the story at the time, making it easier for Peck to land a gig on Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” shortly after his 2005 release. Directors Richard and Beth Correll had regretfully written character letters for Peck, helping him find voiceover work as a talking mirror in three episodes. Peck was fired with his lines redubbed when Disney Channel learned of his criminal history. Yet, Peck still managed to get an uncredited role in 2008’s “Bedtime Stories.” That wasn’t his first Disney movie, having previously appeared in 2003’s “Holes.”

Bolhem Bouchiba

Bolhem Bouchiba was an animator during Disney’s 90s Renaissance, contributing to characters like Esmeralda, Hades, and Tarzan. He later worked on Pixar films like “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” and “Up.” His final credit was as a story artist on “Elemental,” which came out a year before authorities apprehended him in 2024. Bouchiba was accused of ordering hundreds of minors in the Philippines to be sexually assaulted via live stream. He already had a conviction on his record for abusing his partner’s young daughter in 2014. Bouchiba got off with a two-year suspended sentence, but the authorities grew suspicious again in 2019. After being investigated for about five years, Bouchiba was arrested and sentenced to 25 years. Bouchiba admitted to his crimes, asking the victims for forgiveness.

Harvey Weinstein

Harvey Weinstein became a Hollywood titan after co-founding Miramax, which Disney acquired in June 1993. Although Weinstein was now under Disney’s employment, Miramax was given freedom to pursue projects that didn’t always fit the family-friendly Mouse brand. Unfortunately, this also gave Weinstein a fair amount of unchecked power. Weinstein and his brother Bob left Miramax to found a new company separate from Disney in 2005. Almost a decade later, Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse came to light, leading to his arrest and convictions. Jeffrey Katzenberg, who helped bring Miramax to Disney years earlier, claimed he had no knowledge of Weinstein’s crimes, saying the revelation “sickened” him. Michael Eisner knew Weinstein was “incorrigible,” although he “had no idea he was capable of these horrible actions.”

Can you think of any other criminals who worked for Disney? Let us know in the comments.