A former food service director has pleaded guilty to stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings from a school district food service program.

Vera Liddell, a 68-year-old former food service director for Harvey School District 152 in Illinois, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing the wings.

Liddell, who had served in the role for over a decade, carried out the theft during the COVID-19 pandemic when students were learning remotely. Over a 19-month period, from July 2020 to February 2022, she ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the district’s food provider. She used district funds to pay for the wings and picked up the orders in a school district cargo van. However, the food was never delivered to the schools or distributed to students.

The scheme was uncovered in January 2023 during a routine audit by the district’s business manager, who noticed that the food service budget was $300,000 over its limit, despite being only halfway through the school year. The manager also found it suspicious that chicken wings, which are not typically served to students, had been ordered in such large quantities.

Liddell’s motive remains unclear, as does what became of the stolen wings.