Illinois Woman Stole $1.5M Worth of Chicken Wings to Fund Gambling Addiction

An Illinois woman was sentenced recently for stealing more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings over two years from her local school district. Her attorney says all the profits went toward gambling.

Vera Liddell, a former school cafeteria consultant, was last week sentenced to nine years in prison for the fraud. It totaled $1.5 million in value. 

Between July 2020 and February 2022, Liddell, now 68, used her position to place large orders of wings with school district food supplier Gordon Food Service. Prosecutors believe she then sold them on for a profit, but could not determine where or to whom. According to her attorney, she spent the illicit proceeds on gambling.

“She’s just a little sweetheart that’s got a gambling problem,” said lawyer Patrick O’Byrne, speaking to People.com.

“She feels beyond terrible about this. This is totally uncharacteristic of her. It was the disease taking over.”

In an interesting twist that not many would have seen coming, NFL star Chris Jones offered to pay the $1.5 million in restitution that could get Liddell out of prison. 

“I’ll pay for the wings that she stole to get her free,” the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle said in a response to the story shared on social media. 

The Scam

Liddell began her chicken wing thieving spree in July 2020. During this time, most high school students in Illinois were home learning because of the pandemic. But thousands were still on school meals. 

Liddell used her position of trust to certify her own orders for some 11,000 boxes of wings, which she would then collect using her school district issued work van. 

Gordon Foods billed the school district, and they paid up for what they believed were legitimate orders.

However, the wings did not reach hungry school children. In fact, chicken wings were not even on the approved list of food for students, as they contain bones, which could be a choking hazard. 

Prosecutors are certain Liddell sold the wings for a profit. But investigators were unable to determine to whom or where they went. Either way, Liddell, who has filed for bankruptcy several times in recent years, reportedly gambled away any proceeds. 

The Sentence

The thefts were uncovered after a 2022 audit by the school district’s business manager, who discovered that the food service department had exceeded its budget by $300,000. 

In January 2024, Liddell was arrested and charged with felony theft of more than $1 million. On Friday, August 16, Judge Michele Pitman of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Sixth Municipal District sentenced her to nine years in prison. 

The prosecution had considered the potential for restitution of the money stolen. But having apparently spent most of it on gambling, Liddell was unable to pay any monies back to the state. 

If Jones meant what he said and he does intend to cover the cost of the stolen chicken, then lawyers have 30 days to file for a change of plea. Although the fact she has already been sentenced could complicate proceedings. 

“She feels incredibly distraught, terrible about what she did,” said O’Byrne. “She can’t even believe she did it.”