Former school employee gets 9-year jail term for stealing $1.5M worth of chicken wings.

In the state of Illinois, a former employee of a school district has recently been given a nine-year prison sentence for a serious crime. According to a report by ABC 7 Chicago, 66-year-old Vera Liddell has pleaded guilty to stealing a whopping $1.5 million worth of chicken wings while working as the food service director for Harvey School District 152. This shocking news came to light in January 2023 when Liddell was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise.

As part of her job, Liddell was responsible for placing orders with the main supplier for the district, Gordon Food Services. However, instead of using the food for the school district, she redirected it elsewhere and still charged the district for the orders. An audit conducted for the district revealed that in just over half a school year, the food service department had exceeded their annual budget by $300,000. The business manager discovered this discrepancy when they came across invoices for chicken wings, which were not on the menu for the students as they contained bones.

Initially, it was reported that Liddell had ordered a staggering 11,000 cases of chicken wings from Gordon Food Services and even used a district cargo van to pick up the orders. Surveillance footage showed Liddell signing an electronic keypad to acknowledge her visit to the company to collect the chicken wings, and later on, the school district was billed for them. However, Liddell never brought back the items to the school or used them to feed the students.

In a report by Queen City News, it was revealed that during Liddell's bond hearing last year, a proffer was presented stating that, "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.” This shocking revelation paints a picture of how Liddell took advantage of the pandemic and used it as a cover for her fraudulent activities.

In another related news story, former NFL player JaMarcus Russell was sued for allegedly stealing a donation of $74,000. These incidents serve as a reminder that no matter how prominent a person's position may be, they are not above the law and must face consequences for their actions.

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