Cast Member Arrested in “Horrific” Child Pornography Bust Moved to Florida Just to Work at Disney - June 7, 2023

A Disney Cast Member was one of eight men arrested in a child pornography (otherwise known as child sexual abuse material/CSAM) bust in Central Florida earlier this month, according to FOX13 News.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd spoke about the “horrific” images in a press conference on June 1. He explained that Paul Viel, 40, of Davenport, moved to Florida from Indiana with his wife to work at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort.
“Why do people like Paul Viel work at Disney? Because that’s where the children are, and they want to be around children,” Judd said.

Viel faces 540 counts of CSAM, ranging from newborns to eight-year-olds. Each counts as a separate felony charge.

“He was a sadomasochist,” Judd explained. “There were photos where they tied up babies in prep for sexual battery. There was one, a weeks old child where the child’s hands are tied behind her back? Can you believe that? A very young child with her hands tied behind her back.”

“There was videos of a three to six-months-old being sexually battered by an adult male,” Judd continued. He alleged that Viel came to the door nude when officers showed up to arrest him.

“Did I marry a monster?” Judd recalled Viel’s wife asking. “Yes, you did.”

More than 70,000 Cast Members work at Walt Disney World Resort. In fact, The Walt Disney Company is the largest employer in Florida. While criminal behavior by Disney employees is rare, it’s not unheard of.

Last month, former Disney Cast Member Daniel Rivera was arrested and charged with possessing hundreds of counts of CSAM. In addition, Rivera allegedly took inappropriate images of coworkers at Walt Disney World Resort without consent and shared them on porn sites.