An Illinois cafeteria worker is heading to prison after stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from a school district.
On Friday, August 9, former Harvey School District director Vera Liddell pleaded guilty to the crime, according to WGN-TV, ABC and CBS.
She was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise, the outlets reported, and has since been sentenced to nine years in prison.
PEOPLE reached out to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for additional information, but did not immediately hear back. It is not immediately clear if Liddell has legal representation to comment on her behalf.
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Liddell, 68, previously served as the food service director for the Chicago school district, despite having multiple bankruptcies in her past, according to CBS.
Per ABC, prosecutors said Liddell placed orders for the chicken wings with the district’s main food supplier for nearly two years, starting in July 2020, though she would keep the food, despite charging the district.
Liddell’s theft was discovered after the district’s food service department exceeded its annual budget by $300,000 mid-year, the outlet said.
Court records obtained by CBS state that the former school worker was accused of ordering more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings.
The food was meant to be used for take-home meals for students who were learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, WGN reported. Liddell had worked at the school district for more than a decade, the outlet said.
“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” said a prosecutor during a bond hearing, per WGN-TV. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”
