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School Official Sentenced For Stealing $1.5 Million Worth Of Chicken Wings

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Fiona McLoughlin Contributor
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An Illinois school official was sentenced to nine years in prison Friday for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings.

Vera Liddell, a former food service director for the Harvey School District 152 near Chicago, pleaded guilty Friday to stealing over 11,000 cases of chicken wings over the span of 19 months, according to WGN-TV. ABC7. She was charged with operating a criminal enterprise and theft in January 2023, ABC7 reported.

Liddell was in charge of placing orders with a food supplier for the district, prosecutors reportedly said. From July 2020 to February 2022, she placed orders for chicken wings billed to the district, but kept them to herself, ABC7 reported, citing prosecutors.

The district discovered the chicken wing heist in 2023 when its food service department was over budget by $300,000 halfway through the year, WGN reported. The district’s business manager uncovered the invoices for the wings.

The particular wings Liddell ordered are not typical for the school to serve as they contained bones, ABC7 reported, citing court documents. (RELATED: ‘Utter Jabberwocky’: Court Rules Customers Should Not Be Surprised If ‘Boneless’ Chicken Wings Have Bones In Them).

The food was meant for students doing school remotely during the pandemic, WGN-TV reported, citing Cook County prosecutors.

“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” a proffer from Liddell’s bond hearing in 2023 stated, according to WGN. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”

Liddell worked at the district for over 10 years, according to ABC7.