Suburban School Worker Stole 11K Cases of Chicken Wings in $1.5M Embezzlement Scheme: Court Docs

[jimfields33]

Such an unusual Story.


Prosecutors allege Vera Liddell placed hundreds of unauthorized orders for food items, particularly chicken wings, between July 2020 and February 2022.

Cook County prosecutors have charged the former head of food services at a south suburban school district of engaging in a massive embezzlement scheme in which she allegedly stole more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings and $1.5 million in taxpayer funds over a 19-month period, court documents revealed.

Vera Liddell, who worked as the director of food services at Harvey School District 152, was charged with felony continuing financial crimes enterprise and theft exceeding $1,000,000, also a felony, according to a proffer filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

Prosecutors allege Liddell placed hundreds of unauthorized orders for food items, particularly chicken wings, with the district's main supplier, Gordon Food Services, from July 2020 to February 2022. While Liddell placed the orders separate from the district's legitimate orders, Gordon Food Services billed the school district for the items, believing Liddell was authorized to make the purchases on its behalf, court documents state.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/suburban-school-cafeteria-worker-stole-11k-cases-of-chicken-wings-in-1-5m-embezzlement-scheme-prosecutors/3058487/?amp=1

[Turbineguy]

1. Buffalo wings addict?

[inthewind21]

2. That's

a very lot of chicken wings!

[Ohio Joe]

3. The article does not say... I assume the wings were then sold...

So that means there is a 'hot wings' joke here somewhere

[Talitha]

9. **snort**

[Meadowoak]

4. I bet Vera is a Trump Republican, willing to sacrifice your

Social security because of govt. Waste.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Obsessive-Compulsive Chicken Wing Reorder Disorder

She wasn't in it for the heatlth food! How do you dispose of 11,000 cases? Charity, food distribution, wholesale, deals with local markets?

[SYFROYH]

6. Chicken wings are super expensive these days.

$3-5 per pound uncooked and unseasoned.

[Karma13612]

7. That's where all the wings have gone!

And that’s why they are so freakin’ expensive when you do find some!

Half joking, half serious.

[dembotoz]

8. wonder if it will come out who bought the wings

imagine paying top dollar for school lunch program quality wings.

[Igel]

13. That needed a warning.

[lame54]

10. 2 Boobs short of a Hooters

[ZonkerHarris]

11. I see your chicken wings and call with 1.2 million in stolen fajitas...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fajita-heist-texas-man-sentenced-50-years-stealing-1-2-n868451
When sentenced on Friday, Escamilla was also served with the maximum fine of $10,000 on top of the $1,251,578.72 he was ordered to pay back for the cost of the fajitas, officials said.

According to The Brownsville Herald, Escamilla's scheme unraveled last August after a delivery driver with Labatt Food Service phoned the detention center to give kitchen employees a heads up that an 800-pound delivery of fajitas had arrived.

Employees immediately thought the delivery to be suspicious as minors at the detention center are not served fajitas, however the delivery driver insisted that had been delivering fajitas to the detention center's kitchen for the past nine years.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

12. "chicken wings, an item that typically wouldn't be served to students because they contain bones"