Illinois Chicken Wing Thief ($1.5 Million Worth of Chicken Wings)

A former employee of a school district in Illinois has pleaded guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from the district’s food service. According to a report 68-year-old Vera Liddell was arrested in January 2023 and pleaded guilty Friday. She was sentenced to nine years in prison. The crimes took place during the COVID pandemic when students were not allowed to be physically present at school. During this time, the district continued to provide meals for students that their parents could pick up. Court records show that Liddell ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the school district’s food provider and picked up the order in a district cargo van. The food was never brought to the school or given to students, records show. It’s unclear what Liddell did with $1.5 million worth of wings.