The former food service director of a south suburban school district has been charged with stealing about $1.5 million worth of chicken wings over a 19-month period.
Vera Liddell, 66, who worked for Harvey School District 152 for more than 10 years, was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise, according to Cook County court records.
Liddell was responsible for placing orders with Gordon Food Services, a main supplier for the district, according to prosecutors. She placed orders for the chicken wings from July 2020 to February 2022, billing the district but keeping the food, prosecutors said.
An audit last year discovered that the district’s food service department had exceeded its annual budget by $300,000, with the school year only half over, prosecutors said. The business manager for the district uncovered the invoices for the chicken wings, according to court records.
Chicken wings are an item that typically wouldn’t be served to students because they contain bones, documents stated.
The district’s interim superintendent, Lela Bridges, issued a statement saying she could not comment “because of an ongoing investigation. However, we are fully cooperating with the authorities regarding this matter.”
