Man accused of stealing $1.5million worth of chicken wings in 'massive fraud'

31 January 2023 , 18:09

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The "massive fraud" began when children were taking classes remotely (Image: Getty Images)

A school worker allegedly stole $1.5 million (£1.21 million) worth of chicken wings by making large food orders through the school district's food service which were never served to students.

The incident occurred at Harvey School District 152 in an impoverished suburban area of Illinois, US.

Food service director Vera Liddell, 66, has been arrested and charged with theft and is being held in custody awaiting trial.

Documents spoke of a "massive fraud" which began at the height of the Covid pandemic when children were taking classes remotely.

During this time, the school district reportedly continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.

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Court records suggest that Liddell made orders that included more than 11,000 cases from providers, paid for them with district funds and then picked them up in a district cargo van.

It was not revealed what happened to the chicken wings (Getty Images/500px)

But the food was reportedly never brought to the school or served to students, while its fate remains unclear.

Court documents seen by WGN TV note: "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 woman has worked at the school for more than a decade, according to a LinkedIn profile associated with her name.

Chicken wings cannot be served to students because they contain bones (Getty Images)

The scheme was uncovered by the district’s business manager 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.

Court records also said that the employees of the district’s food provider, Gordon Food Service, were all familiar with the defendant "due to the massive amount of chicken wings she would purchase".

The worker ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings (Getty Images)

Harvey School District 152’s interim superintendent Lela Bridges said she has only been on the job since last week.

She told WGN she was aware of the charges but had no comment due to the ongoing investigation.

The district consists of five schools. Records indicate the district’s total enrolment is 1,600 children with more than 80% of students qualifying as "low income".

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