A school worker admitted to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings and other food during the pandemic and will now head to prison.
In January 2023, Vera Lidell, 67, was arrested by authorities in Cook County, Illinois, according to Fox 32. She began working as the Director of Food Services for Harvey School District 152 in July 2020.
Between her start date and February 2022, Liddell made hundreds of unauthorized orders for food items, including 11,000 cases of chicken wings.
The orders were made separately from the district’s needed orders.
“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,” prosecutors said at the time, according to the report.
District officials paid for the orders. Liddell then used a district cargo van to pick up and transport the stolen food. The food was never brought to the school or provided to the students.
The fraud was discovered when an investigation found that the food service department exceeded its budget by $300,000 halfway through the year.
Last week, Liddell pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to nine years in prison, according to WGN.
