August 12, 2024

Ex-School Worker Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For Stealing $1.5M Worth Of Chicken Wings

Vera Liddell pleaded guilty to stealing the items while working as the food service director for Harvey School District 152 in Illinois.

A former school employee in Illinois, who was accused of embezzling over $1 million worth of chicken wings, has recently been sentenced to nine years in prison.

According to ABC 7 Chicago, 66-year-old Vera Liddell pleaded guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings between July 2020 and February 2022 while working as the food service director for Harvey School District 152. Liddell, who was in charge of placing orders with a main supplier for the district, Gordon Food Services, was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise in January 2023.

Instead of the food going to the school district, Liddell had it redirected elsewhere but charged the district for the orders. An audit done for the district revealed that the district’s food service department had surpassed the annual budget by $300,000 in just over half a school year, according to prosecutors. The business manager discovered the invoices for the chicken wings, but this wasn’t something they served to the students of the district because the chicken wings contained bones.

It was initially reported that Liddell was accused of ordering more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from Gordon Food Services and going to pick up the order in a district cargo van. She was seen on surveillance footage picking up orders. Liddell signed an electronic keypad to acknowledge she went to the company to pick up the chicken wings and the school district was later billed for them.

The former school official never brought back the items to the school or used them to feed the students.

According to Queen City News, a proffer presented at Liddell’s bond hearing last year stated, “The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school. Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”