An Ex-Food52 Executive Stole at Least $270,000 Using the Company Credit Card: 'A Very Conservative Estimate' Siloed departments and non-human expense-reporting software helped an employee scam her company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
By Erin Davis Edited by Sherin Shibu
A former Food52 executive, Shannon Muldoon, 38, recently took a plea deal for making personal charges on the company credit card — for more than $270,000.
Muldoon was indicted in August 2024 for one count of grand larceny in the second degree, but she won't face jail time; she accepted a plea deal earlier this summer for five years of probation, per an exposé this week from The Cut.
"She basically walked away with all of the clothes. And the memories," a coworker told the outlet.
Muldoon was running Food52's branded content arm, Studio 52, and was issued a company credit card. According to the report, from 2021 to 2023, she charged hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of expenses, including Botox, fancy gyms, designer clothes, and travel to wellness retreats. There were excessive charges from the luxury clothing site, Net-a-Porter, despite Food52's policy of not providing clothes for talent at photo shoots. (Executives learned of this policy after the fact.)
Sophie Nathan, Shannon Muldoon, and Christine Tebcherany attend "Fitness Junkie" Book Launch at Longchamp on July 11, 2017, in New York City. Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan | Getty Images
However, Muldoon was keeping the expensing and labeling up to code, and the software that tracked employee expense reports didn't catch anything, according to the report. But after a company reorganization in 2022 and Muldoon taking extensive time off in 2023, colleagues began questioning things like why producing their videos was so expensive and how Muldoon afforded her lifestyle, which she was showcasing on Instagram.
"The $270,000 in unauthorized purchases is a very conservative estimate as to Ms. Muldoon's theft," the Manhattan DA's office said, according to court documents seen by The Cut. "Our investigation showed additional unauthorized purchases from other luxury clothing brands, furniture companies, and other travel-related charges."
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Future Commerce points out that this case highlights a major failure of corporate oversight and how modern, automated expensing systems and approval processes can "enable years of unchecked financial abuse."
The Cut reported that Muldoon has paid $15,000 in restitution so far, but could face penalties up to $262,000, which will be determined in September.
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