I had to write about this because it’s so crazy.
Vera Liddell, 66, has been charged with stealing food worth $1.5 million from Harvey School District 152. She worked there for over ten years.
Liddel loves chicken wings. From WGN News:
“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” reads a proffer presented at Liddell’s bond hearing. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”Court records accuse Liddell of ordering more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the school district’s food provider and then picking-up the order in a district cargo van.
Gordon Food Service knew Liddell because of “the massive amount of chicken wings she would purchase.”
No one brought the food to the school or gave it to the kids. No one knows what happened to the chicken wings.
The district’s business manager found out about Liddell’s scheme “during a routine mid-year audit:
The manager found the district was $300,000 over its annual food service budget despite only being halfway through the school year, according to prosecutors.“She discovered individual invoices signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings, an item that was never served to students because they contain bones,” prosecutors said.
Harvey School District has about 1,600 students. Over 80% of the students are “low income.”
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