Vera Liddell, an ex-food service director in Illinois, was sentenced to nine years for embezzling $1.5 million worth of chicken wings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theft was uncovered during an audit, revealing severe discrepancies in the school district’s food service budget.
Vera Liddell, a former food service director for an Illinois school district, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of embezzling $1.5 million (Ksh. 193 million) worth of chicken wings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Liddell orchestrated the elaborate scheme by ordering over 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the district’s food provider, which she then picked up using a district cargo van.
The fraudulent activities came to light during an audit that exposed significant discrepancies in the school district’s food service budget. The audit revealed that Liddell had been ordering large quantities of chicken wings and other food items, which were never intended for the students. Instead, she sold the food for personal gain, leading to a substantial budget overrun that triggered the investigation and ultimately uncovered her crimes.