A former Walt Disney cast member has been accused of stealing $34,000 from the company, The Orlando Sentinel reports.
- The employee has been charged with two misdemeanors for allegedly stealing the money over a two-year period.
What happened:
The employee — who worked with Disney since 1990 — allegedly stole $33,988 from Disney while working at the transportation and ticket center between January 2017 and May 2019, according to The Orlando Sentinel’s report, which included information from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office report.
The defendant was responsible for issuing theme park tickets and MagicBands to guests wishing to enter the various Walt Disney World locations, the sheriff’s report stated. The defendant would systematically activate the Disney MagicBands, collect cash from guests for the purchase and subsequently void the transactions and pocket the cash.
Disney said the cast member stood out to security because she had lower cash sales, and she activated fewer MagicBands than the amount she sold. For example, she sold 1,965 MagicBands but activated 3,272, according to WDW News Today.
The employee was fired in May 2019.
What’s next:
The woman admitted to stealing the money. She said she was doing it “to help pay bills and she had been sending her mother home $100 a month since her father passed away in 2017.”
- The woman pleaded no contest to petit theft. She was charged with misdemeanor theft for the cash, too, according to WDW News Today.
- She has been given 12-month probation, a $273 fine and required to complete community service and a seminar on impulse control.
- She has been banned from Walt Disney World theme park.