THE MOST WESTERN NEW YORK CRIME THAT DIDN'T TAKE PLACE IN WESTERN NEW YORK
A food service director for Harvey School District 152 in south suburban Illinois has pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $1.5 million worth of food, primarily chicken wings. Vera Liddell, who had been employed by the district for over a decade, was accused by Cook County prosecutors of orchestrating a scheme to pilfer large quantities of food intended for take-home meals for students during the pandemic.
According to court documents, Liddell entered a guilty plea on Friday and has been sentenced to nine years in prison. The fraudulent activities came to light during a routine mid-year audit conducted by the district's business manager.
The audit revealed that the district was $300,000 over its annual food service budget, despite being only halfway through the school year. The investigation uncovered that Liddell had ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the district's food provider and had been picking up the orders using a district cargo van.
The food, however, was never delivered to the school or provided to the students. District funds were used to pay for the stolen food, although the fate of the chicken wings remains undisclosed. The scheme was exposed when the business manager discovered invoices signed by Liddell for substantial quantities of chicken wings, which would be a food an item never served to students due to the presence of bones.
Employees of the district's food provider, Gordon Food Service, were reportedly familiar with Liddell due to the excessive amount of chicken wings she would regularly purchase. Harvey School District 152, which serves an impoverished community, consists of five schools with a total enrollment of 1,600 children of which over 80% qualify as "low income."
The district's interim superintendent, Lela Bridges, acknowledged the charges but declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. Liddell is currently in custody at the Cook County Jail with a bond set at $150,000.
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