During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, people everywhere took advantage of low gas prices and working from home. Vera Liddell, on the other hand, saw COVID as her sign to pull off the biggest scheme in chicken wing history, and now, she’s paying the price.
The 68-year-old will be spending the next nine years in prison after pleading guilty of stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings, according to Fox News.
Liddell’s heist first began in July 2020 and continued for nearly two years, per ABC-7. During this time, she would order food— mostly chicken wings— through Gordon Food Services, which served most of the schools in the district. She would even use a school cargo van to pick up the food before taking it home for herself.
“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 her 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.”
The former Illinois food service director was caught in 2023. An audit revealed the school district was more than $300,000 over budget despite being mostly online, according to court documents.
When Liddell’s schemes were unveiled, she was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise last January. She pleaded guilty on Aug. 9, according to WGN.
The ex-director was reportedly the only person responsible for placing food orders. “Upon closer review, 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,” the court documents said.
Liddell acquired an estimated 11,000 cases of chicken that never saw the inside of the school’s cafeteria. According to CBS News Chicago, Liddell was hired despite having multiple bankruptcies in her past.