Vera Liddell, 66, the former food service director for a south suburban school, has received a prison sentence.
This came after she pled guilty to stealing $1.5 million in chicken wings over a 19-month period, according to court documents; however, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.
According to reports, the 66-year-old woman, who had worked for Harvey School District 152 for over a decade, was charged with theft and conducting a criminal organization.
Liddell is accused of ordering over 11,000 cases of chicken wings through the district between August and November 2021, but the wings never arrived on kids’ plates.
Liddell’s fraud was found after the district’s food service department exceeded its yearly budget by $300,000 in the middle of the year, according to ABC.
The cuisine was intended to be used as take-home meals for students studying remotely during the COVID-19 epidemic.
“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” a prosecutor stated during a bond hearing, according to WGN-TV.
“Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.” The prosecutor added.
According to CBS News Chicago, Liddell was hired as a culinary services director despite having previous bankruptcies in the past.
