A former executive from Food52, Shannon Muldoon, age 38, has reached a plea agreement after being accused of using the company’s credit card for personal expenses totaling over $270,000.

In August 2024, Muldoon faced charges of grand larceny in the second degree. However, she will avoid jail time by accepting a plea deal that grants her five years of probation, as reported by The Cut this week.

“She basically walked away with all of the clothes. And the memories,” a coworker told the outlet.

While managing Food52’s branded content division, Studio 52, Muldoon was given a company credit card. Reports indicate that between 2021 and 2023, she made numerous personal purchases such as Botox treatments, luxury gym memberships, designer apparel, and trips to wellness retreats. She frequently bought from the high-end clothing retailer, Net-a-Porter, which went against Food52’s policy of not supplying attire for talent during photo shoots. Executives reportedly learned about this policy breach after the spending occurred.

^{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}

Interestingly, despite the questionable charges, Muldoon managed to keep her expense reports seemingly compliant, and the monitoring software failed to flag these expenses. However, following a corporate restructuring in 2022 and Muldoon’s significant absence in 2023, suspicions arose among her colleagues. They began to question the high cost of producing videos and Muldoon’s luxurious lifestyle, which she often displayed on Instagram.

The Manhattan DA’s office noted in court documents viewed by The Cut that the stated $270,000 in unauthorized spending is a minimal estimate. The investigation uncovered additional unauthorized purchases, including other luxury clothing, furniture, and varied travel expenses.

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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