Former Disney Cruise Line Employee Arrested to Embezzlement Scheme

Disney Dream at Sea

A former employee aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship pleaded guilty in a San Diego federal court Thursday to one count of wire fraud in connection with his scheme to embezzle more than $275,000 from the Walt Disney Company.

Renan Dias Da Rocha Gomes, 32, admitted that from at least October 2015 through Oct. 27. 2017, he was employed as a merchandise host and assigned to work in the merchandise stores aboard the Disney Wonder.

Gomes admitted he executed his scheme by fraudulently obtaining money through his access to the VeriFone payment system in order to embezzle funds from Disney for his own personal gain.


According to his plea agreement, Gomes admitted he made about $275,000 in unauthorized charges to Disney’s bank account and loaded the value of the funds onto Disney gift cards while working aboard the Disney Wonder on the high seas.

Gomes also admitted that from April 23 through May 7 of this year, he spent about $37,700 of the embezzled funds for his own personal benefit by taking his family on a Disney World vacation.

While on vacation, Gomes said he used the gift cards with the embezzled funds to pay about $8,200 in lodging, $29,500 on food,  beverages, merchandise and entertainment expenses.

As part of his plea agreement, Gomes will be required to repay The Walt Disney Company the total amount of funds he stole which the company was unable to recover.

Gomes, a Brazilian national, remains in custody pending his next court appearance on March 9. He was arrested in October when federal agents boarded the Disney Wonder ship after it made port in San Diego Harbor.

Source: Times of San Diego

Former Disney Cruise Line Employee Arrested to Embezzlement Scheme

Click here for your free no obligation quote!

Want more help planning your next Disney vacation? As an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, my goal is to help you plan the Magic your way. I create customized itineraries, book advanced dining and FastPass+ reservations, monitor for discounts for your vacation, and much much more! And did I mention that my services are FREE? Get in touch at 843-288-1130, via email at whitney@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook.

Please note: some posts may contain affiliate links which means our team could earn money if you purchase products from our site

D2T-1

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
MM slash DD slash YYYY
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!

YouTube player

Written by:

This account is for Past Writers and Friends who love Disney and want to share that love with you.
View All Posts
Follow Me :