School Worker Sentenced to Prison for Stealing $1.5 Million in Chicken Wings and Food During Pandemic

Vera Liddell pleaded guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from an Illinois school district and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Cook County State's Attorney's Office

A former school worker, Vera Lidell, 67, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after admitting to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings and other food items during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lidell, who served as the Director of Food Services for Harvey School District 152 in Cook County, Illinois, was arrested in January 2023.

Starting in July 2020, just as the pandemic began to impact school operations, Lidell made hundreds of unauthorized orders, including 11,000 cases of chicken wings. These orders were placed separately from the district's legitimate needs, despite students learning remotely and not attending school in person. However, the district continued to provide meals for students to pick up.

Prosecutors revealed that Lidell used a district cargo van to collect the stolen food, which was never delivered to the school or students. The fraud was uncovered when an internal investigation revealed the food service department had exceeded its budget by $300,000 midway through the year.

Lidell pleaded guilty to the charges last week and received her prison sentence.