The food service director for Harvey Elementary District 152 was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to taking $1.4 million worth of chicken wings, court records show.
Vera Liddell, 68, who worked for the district for more than 10 years, was charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise in 2023, according to court records.
She pleaded guilty Aug. 9 to one theft charge.
“I’ve been doing this as a defense attorney for 42 years, and this is definitely one of the more unusual cases I’ve ever had,” Patrick O’Byrne, Liddell’s attorney.
During the pandemic, Liddell used district funds to order pounds of chicken wings from Gordon Food Service, the district’s food provider, according to O’Byrne.
The food was intended for take-home meals for students learning remotely. However, instead of arranging for the school district to collect the wings, she sold them herself, he said.
While the enterprise resulted in a significant loss for the district, O’Byrne said Liddell does not have any funds to show for the large-scale theft.
“I know she doesn’t have a penny to show for it,” he said. “I don’t know what happened to the money.”
According to O’Byrne, if she had been able to pay back what she stole, she might have received a lighter sentence or even probation. Instead, she received a harsh sentence for her age, he said.
“She’s 68 years old, so it is a significant penitentiary sentence,” he said.
The theft was discovered by the district’s business manager during a routine audit where the manager found that 100% of the district’s food budget was spent in half of the school year, O’Byrne said.
After finding invoices for the chicken wings signed by Liddell, O’Byrne said the auditor originally thought the purchase was a mistake because the district doesn’t serve chicken wings to students, because they contain bones. Typical lunch items include pizza, macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries, he said.
O’Byrne said he doesn’t know how the theft, which took place for more than a year ago, went undetected, except that Liddell was a longtime employee with no prior criminal record until her arrest.
“She’s never been in trouble her entire life, and she was a good employee for many, many years,” he said.
The superintendent’s office for the district and the Cook County state’s attorney’s office not return calls.
The district consists of five schools and serves close to 1,600 students, according to enrollment records. Around 72% of students qualify as low income.
smoilanen@chicagotribune.com
