School employee sentenced to prison for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings | US News
A school worker has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing $1.5m (£1.18m) worth of chicken wings.
Vera Liddell’s year-long theft of the flightless birds amounted to 11,000 cases of wings, which were intended for students during the peak of the COVID pandemic, according to prosecutors.
The 68-year-old initiated the scheme in July 2020 and went undetected until a business manager at her school near Chicago discovered that food expenses were $300,000 (£235,000) over budget during a routine audit, as reported by US media.
Vera Liddell. Pic: Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Liddell purchased the large quantity of food and used a school cargo van to transport it – students never received a single wing.
Due to the pandemic, schools were closed at the time, but the district still provided meal kits to students learning remotely.
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Liddell, who served as the food service head for 10 years at the district, was initially accused of theft and running a criminal enterprise.
She received a nine-year prison sentence after pleading guilty.
