Disneyland employee Taron Sargsyan claims he spent $24,000 on his corporate credit card so his paycheck could go to DRUGS – and the House of Mouse allowed him to pay it back without firing him

A former Disney employee wrote that he spent $24,000 on his company card while deep in drug addiction, and thanks to the compassion of the House of Mouse, he was able to pay back the ill-gotten money instead of firing him.

Taron Sargsyan, a Californian of Armenian descent, revealed the personal struggles he faced while trying to balance his meth addiction with his first job out of college at Disney.

After completing two internships at Disney at the end of his time at the University of Southern California, Sargsyan was offered a full-time position as a software engineer with the Photopass team – Disney’s park souvenir photo service.

In an essay published by Business insiderSargsyan called the job a “refuge” during a difficult time in his life.

He wrote that he was traumatized after “coming out as gay to my Armenian family,” which “brought a lonely, dark fog over my life.”

“Most of my money was spent on drugs and helping my immigrant family,” he said.

Instead of firing him and possibly filing a criminal complaint against him, the House of Mouse opted to give the young software engineer the chance to pay back the money and keep his job.

That’s when he started using his company card for extracurricular expenses.

He said he told himself he would pay it all back, but he spiraled and was soon in over his head.

In an interview with the New York PostSargsyan said he indirectly used the Disney corporate card to pay for medications by using it to finance living expenses – groceries, doctors, gas and other daily expenses.

“This card supported my drug addiction because it allowed me to use my personal income for the majority of my drug spending,” he said.

In 2017, Sargsyan was desperate and scared, and on the advice of a stranger, he decided to admit to his manager what he had done.

“I was terrified I would be fired or go to jail, but Disney offered me the greatest gesture of love anyone could have shown me,” he wrote.

He said the company offered him the chance to pay the money back and he walked away with only a formal warning.

He clarified to the Post that he had not directly admitted to his manager that he suffered from a drug addiction, but only that he had misused his company card.

Eventually, his family, whom he said he had helped support, gave him a loan to pay back all the money. He worked the next year to pay them back.

Sargsyan credits Disney with saving his relationship with his family and his sobriety

“Without Disney’s impact on my life, I may not have recovered from my addiction or my relationship with my family,” he wrote.

The then-Disney employee said the company’s kindness and understanding gave him the drive he needed to go to rehab, though he failed to maintain his sobriety six times before it worked.

Sargsyan wrote about his positive experiences at an Orange County rehabilitation center, explaining that the treatment allowed him to rediscover his own humanity, as well as that of his family and employer.

“Disney showed me that compassion can be a powerful force to inspire forgiveness and responsibility,” he wrote. “I extended the same understanding and forgiveness I had received to my own family.”

‘I moved back in with my family to heal the rift in our relationship. My family was the main source of my addiction at the time,” he continued.

In 2019, Sargsyan left the company and has since made it his goal to share his story, including the impact the mega-entertainment conglomerate had on his life.

He has also worked hard on his relationship with his family to “heal the damage I caused them during my active addiction.”

“Without Disney’s impact on my life, I may not have recovered from my addiction or my relationship with my family.”