A 19-month-long embezzlement scheme spearheaded by the former director of food services in an Illinois school district resulted in two felony charges for allegedly stealing chicken wings.
1.
According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, court documents show that Vera Liddell, who was in charge of Harvey School District 152’s food orders, stole enough chicken to amount to $1.5 million in tax dollars.
Cook County prosecutors have gathered enough evidence to file a lawsuit against her for continuing financial crimes enterprise and theft of more than $1 million.
2.
In addition, legal documents stated that from July 2020 to February 2022, Liddell placed additional orders of chicken and other items outside the district’s original requests. Although she made the extra orders separately, the supplier put the charges on the school district’s tab, assuming her role approved her to do so.
3.
According to court documents, the school district’s business manager learned about a $300,000 increase in spending from the food service department after a financial review in Jan. 2022, significantly exceeding its budget with several more months remaining in the school year, NBC 4 reported.
