Vera Liddell
A lunch lady was arrested for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from “low income” Illinois schools during the height of the Covid pandemic.
According to court records, Vera Liddell, 66, began stealing the chicken wings while students were forced to stay home and take classes remotely.
“Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up,” the documents said according to WGN 9.
Liddell ordered 11,000 cases of chicken wings from one of the school district’s vendors and picked up the food in a cargo van.
The chicken wings were never delivered to the school.
It is still unclear what happened to the chicken wings.
A routine audit conducted by the Harvey School District 152 manager revealed the school district’s food costs were $300,000 over budget halfway through the year.
Liddell was charged with theft and is being held at the Cook County jail on a $150,000 bond, according to the outlet.
WGN 9 reported:
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.
“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.
“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.
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