Illinois — A longtime school district employee has been sentenced to nine years in prison after prosecutors say she orchestrated a large-scale food theft scheme involving more than $1.5 million worth of chicken wings intended for students at a school near Chicago. The case, which unfolded during the COVID-19 pandemic, involved over 11,000 cases of chicken wings diverted from the district’s food service program.
Prosecutors identified the employee as Vera Liddell, 68, who had worked for the district for more than a decade and oversaw food service operations. Her role allowed her to place orders, manage inventory, and authorize deliveries — responsibilities investigators say she used to execute the yearlong theft.
Routine Audit Exposes Massive Over-Budget Food Spending
The scheme came to light when a routine financial audit flagged food expenditures that were approximately $300,000 over budget, a red flag that prompted a deeper internal review. At the time, schools in the district were closed due to pandemic restrictions, but meal kits were still being provided to families with students learning at home.
According to investigators, none of the chicken wings Liddell ordered ever made it into those student meal kits. Instead, she allegedly placed repeated orders for large quantities of wings, had them delivered to the district, and then transported the shipments using a school cargo van for personal use and profit.
How the Scheme Operated During the Pandemic
Investigators say the theft began in July 2020, at the height of remote learning, and continued for roughly one year. Because students were not consuming food on campus, the sudden spike in meat orders stood out to auditors, prompting closer scrutiny of delivery logs, invoices, and vendor communication…