The ex-food service director of the Harvey School District pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing chicken wings valued at $1.5 million. Vera Liddell, 68, had worked for the district for over a decade.
According to court filings, Liddell is suspected of ordering over 11,000 cases of chicken wings for the district between August and November 2021; nevertheless, the wings never made it to the students’ plates.
CBS News Chicago discovered that, despite having several bankruptcies, Liddell was recruited as a food services director.
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Liddell was in charge of placing orders with Gordon Food Services, the district’s primary supplier, according to ABC, which was confirmed by authorities.
Nonetheless, prosecutors said that when she placed orders for chicken wings from July 2020 to February 2022 and billed the district, she kept the food.
Prosecutors also mentioned that, with the school year barely halfway through, an audit conducted last year revealed the district’s food service department had gone over its yearly budget by $300,000. According to court records, the district’s business manager discovered the invoices for the chicken wings, which are normally not offered to the students due to their bone content.
Though schools had been closed during the pandemic, the district continued to deliver lunch boxes to kids learning remotely.
According to Fox News, Liddell was first charged with theft and running a criminal enterprise in January 2023.
She has now been sentenced to nine years in prison.
