A woman has been sentenced to jail for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings over a one-year period.
Vera Liddell pilfered around 11,000 boxes of chicken wings that were meant to feed students during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prosecutors stated the food program aimed to provide meals to children who were studying from home during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
This initiative was particularly important as many families depend on the free school meals provided by their schools, allowing that support to continue during remote learning.
A proffer presented at Liddell’s bonding stated: “The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school.
“Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”
At this juncture, Liddell saw an opportunity to commence her fraudulent activities.
The 68-year-old exploited her role as the food service head at a district near Chicago, a position she had held for approximately 10 years, to place orders for cases of chicken wings using the school’s account.
Initially, her scheme went undetected as she ordered the wings on the school’s account and picked them up using a delivery van.
The students, for whom the wings were intended, never received any of them.
Liddell’s scheme came to light after a routine audit of the school district’s expenses revealed that the food expenditure was $300,000 over budget, with several months still remaining in the school year.
Prosecutors noted that the auditor “discovered individual invoices signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings, an item that was never served to students because they contain bones.”
According to Gordon Food Service, the supplier of the wings, Liddell was well-known due to the enormous quantity of chicken wings she ordered.
The wings were purchased separately from the approved food orders for the district.
Gordon Food Service assumed that the purchases for the wings had been authorized and billed the school district accordingly.
Liddell was arrested following the audit in January 2022.
The exact use of the stolen wings remains unclear.
The theft was conducted through hundreds of orders throughout the year.
Liddell faced charges for the stolen wings and was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty.