Illinois, Chicago: An Illinois school cafeteria director has been sentenced to nine years in prison for orchestrating a $1.5 million chicken wing theft, marking the end of an audacious scheme that spanned nearly two years.
Vera Liddell, 68, was convicted of stealing 11,000 cases of chicken wings during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the food service director for Harvey School District 152, Liddell exploited her position to pilfer the wings, which were intended for student meals. The Cook County State Attorney’s Office revealed that her illicit operation began in July 2020 and continued unabated until February 2022, as reported by ABC 7 Chicago.
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Discovery of the Heist
The extent of Liddell’s theft came to light when the school district’s financial woes became impossible to ignore. A school business manager noticed that food expenses had skyrocketed by $300,000 over the budget, despite several months remaining in the school year. This prompted a routine mid-year audit, which ultimately uncovered Liddell’s elaborate scheme.
Prosecutors stated, as reported by WGN, that the business manager found numerous invoices signed by Liddell for enormous quantities of chicken wings—an item never served to students due to its bone content. Liddell had been the district’s food service director for a decade, and her frequent purchases of wings had even made her a familiar figure to the district’s food provider, Gordon Food Services.
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During the pandemic, when schools were closed, the district continued to distribute meal kits to families for remote learning. It was during this period that Liddell took advantage of the situation, using a school cargo van to transport the stolen wings.
In January 2023, Liddell was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise. She eventually pled guilty, leading to her nine-year prison sentence.
