An Illinois cafeteria worker is going to prison for stealing $1.5 million in chicken wings from a school district.
WGN-TV, ABC, and CBS reported that former Harvey School District director Vera Liddell pleaded guilty to the crime on Friday, August 9.
She was accused of theft and running a criminal operation, according to the outlets, and has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
PEOPLE contacted the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for more information but did not receive an immediate response. It is unclear whether Liddell has legal representation who can comment on her behalf. According to CBS, Liddell, 68, previously worked as the food service director for the Chicago school district, despite having been bankrupt several times.
According to ABC, Liddell placed orders for chicken wings with the district’s principal food supplier for nearly two years, beginning in July 2020, but kept the goods despite charging the district.
According to the outlet, Liddell’s fraud was found after the district’s food service department went over budget by $300,000 in the middle of the year.
According to court papers obtained by CBS, the former school staffer was accused of ordering more than 11,000 cartons of chicken wings.
The food was intended to be utilized as take-home meals for children learning remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak, WGN said. According to the outlet, Liddell had been with the school district for over a decade.
“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” a prosecutor stated during a bond hearing, according to PEOPLE. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”