School Worker Jailed for 9 Years Over Sh193 Million Chicken Wing Heist
A former school employee from Chicago, Illinois has been sentenced to nine years in prison for embezzling $1.5 million (Ksh. 193 million) worth of chicken wings from the district amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between July 2020 and February 2022, Vera Liddell, 68, ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from Gordon Food Services, the school district’s food provider, and collected them using a district cargo van.
Liddell had served as the food service director for Harvey School District 152 for a decade.
Although students were learning remotely during the pandemic, the school district continued to offer meals for families to pick up.
Liddell’s responsibilities included placing orders and handling billing with Gordon Food Services, according to prosecutors, as reported by ABC News.
She placed the orders and managed the billing, but retained the chicken wings for herself from July 2020 to February 2022, according to prosecutors.
On August 9, she admitted guilt to the charges and received a nine-year prison sentence.
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“The massive fraud occurred during the peak of COVID when students were not physically attending school,” stated a proffer presented at Liddell’s 2023 bond hearing.
“Despite remote learning, the school district still provided meals that families could pick up for their children.”
The chicken theft scheme came to light in 2023 when an audit revealed that the district’s food service department had exceeded its annual budget by $300,000 (Ksh. 38 million) halfway through the school year, according to ABC News.
The district’s business manager discovered the invoices for the chicken wings, which was unusual because the food item was not intended for student meals due to its bones.
Court records indicate that the former Harvey employee was known for the large quantities of chicken wings she purchased.
When Liddell’s fraudulent activities were exposed, she was charged with theft and running a criminal enterprise in January.
School Worker Jailed for 9 Years Over Sh193 Million Chicken Wing Heist
