Suburban school worker charged with stealing $1.5M worth of chicken wings from district
HARVEY, Ill. — The food service director for an impoverished south suburban school district is accused of stealing $1.5M worth of food – mainly chicken wings – according to court documents reviewed by WGN Investigates.
Vera Liddell, 66, worked for Harvey School District 152 for more than a decade, according to a LinkedIn account associated with her name.
Liddell
“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” reads a proffer presented at Liddell’s bond hearing. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”
Court records accuse Liddell of ordering more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the school district’s food provider and then picking-up the order in a district cargo van.
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“The food was never brought to the school or provided to the students,” reads the proffer.
District funds were used to pay for the food, according to prosecutors, who did not reveal what became of the chicken wings.
The scheme was uncovered by the district’s business manager during a routine mid-year audit. The manager found the district was $300,000 over its annual food service budget despite only being halfway through the school year, according to prosecutors.
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“She discovered individual invoices signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings, an item that was never served to students because they contain bones,” prosecutors said.
Court records say employees of the district’s food provider, Gordon Food Service, were all familiar with the defendant “due to the massive amount of chicken wings she would purchase.”
The case was investigated by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office and Liddell was charged with theft. She’s in custody at the Cook County Jail with a $150,000 bond.
Harvey School District 152’s interim superintendent Lela Bridges said she has only been on the job since last week. She told WGN she was aware of the charges but had no comment due to the ongoing investigation.
The district consists of five schools. Records indicate the district’s total enrollment is 1,600 children with more than 80% of students qualifying as “low income.”
Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 6421 Location: The Titanic that is the USA
Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2023 9:04 am Post subject:
This would have been a better story if it happened in Buffalo. _________________ You are under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself, continuously. - Richard Feynman
Jokes aside, what does one do with 11,000 cases of chicken wings? Does she own a restaurant on the side? _________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
Illinois school worker Vera Liddell gets 9 years for $1.5 million chicken wing heist
What a clucking shame.
An Illinois school worker will spend the next nine years in prison after she stole 11,000 cases of chicken wings worth $1.5 million that were meant for students during the height of the COVID pandemic, prosecutors said.
Vera Liddell used her position as the food service director at Harvey School District 152 to carry out the unappetizing crime that was only unearthed after the district realized the school system blew past its budget, prosecutors reportedly said.
Liddell, 68, started the scheme in July 2020 and didn’t stop until February 2022, the Cook County State Attorney’s Office said, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
While she bought up the incredible amount of poultry and used a school cargo van to pick up the food, students never saw a single wing, prosecutors said, per WGN.
Schools were closed, but the district near Chicago was still sending out meal kits to students in remote learning during the height of the pandemic.
She was originally charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise in January 2023.
Liddell, who was food service head for 10 years at the district, took a guilty plea in the case before she received the nine-year prison sentence, WGN reported.
A school business manager found food costs were $300,000 over budget even though there were still months left in the school year during a routine audit that led to Liddell’s arrest.
Illinois school worker Vera Liddell gets 9 years for $1.5 million chicken wing heist
What a clucking shame.
An Illinois school worker will spend the next nine years in prison after she stole 11,000 cases of chicken wings worth $1.5 million that were meant for students during the height of the COVID pandemic, prosecutors said.
Vera Liddell used her position as the food service director at Harvey School District 152 to carry out the unappetizing crime that was only unearthed after the district realized the school system blew past its budget, prosecutors reportedly said.
Liddell, 68, started the scheme in July 2020 and didn’t stop until February 2022, the Cook County State Attorney’s Office said, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
While she bought up the incredible amount of poultry and used a school cargo van to pick up the food, students never saw a single wing, prosecutors said, per WGN.
Schools were closed, but the district near Chicago was still sending out meal kits to students in remote learning during the height of the pandemic.
She was originally charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise in January 2023.
Liddell, who was food service head for 10 years at the district, took a guilty plea in the case before she received the nine-year prison sentence, WGN reported.
A school business manager found food costs were $300,000 over budget even though there were still months left in the school year during a routine audit that led to Liddell’s arrest.
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