Prosecutors Cry Fowl, Say Worker Stole 11K Cases Of Chicken Wings

HARVEY, IL — A 66-year-old former Harvey school district food services manager has been charged with two felonies after Cook County prosecutors allege that she stole 11,000 cases of chicken wings and $1.5 million in taxpayer funds over a period of 19 months.

Vera Liddell is being held in the Cook County Jail on $150,000 bond after she was charged with felony continuing financial crimes enterprise and theft of more than $1 million, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors maintain that Liddell, while working as a consultant for Harvey School District 152, signed for “massive amounts” of chicken wings on behalf of the district, although the wings would not be a food typically served to students, prosecutors said in court documents.

Officials said an internal audit conducted by the district in January 2022 showed that food services exceeded its budget by more than $300,000 just halfway through the year. The overspending prompted the district to look further into the matter. The auditor found that Liddell signed for the wings and had them charged to the district through its food services, provider Gordon Foods, documents show.

Documents show that Liddell ordered the chicken wings separately from other food that was ordered for school use. However, Gordon Foods never questioned the orders, as it believed that Liddell was authorized to order the food as part of her role with the district. Court documents state that Liddell began working as a consultant for the district in 2020 and, over 19 months placed hundreds of unauthorized orders for food items — namely chicken wings — with the company.

Prosecutors said Liddell placed several phone orders a week on behalf of the district, and that Gordon Food Service employees came to know her because of the large number of chicken wings she ordered.

Liddell has been seen on surveillance arriving at Gordon Food Services, often before it opened, and signing for the orders of chicken wings and would bill the district, court documents show. Prosecutors said she would leave the store with the chicken wings in a school cargo van and the food was never taken to the school or fed to students, documents show.

Liddell is due back in court on Feb. 22 and according to court documents has no prior punishable criminal history.

Court documents do not indicate what became of the chicken wings, but said that the district paid all the invoices for billed services from Gordon Foods.