A Chicago school district official, Vera Liddell, 68, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for stealing $1.5 million worth of chicken wings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the director of food services for Harvey School District 152, Liddell placed unauthorized orders for over 11,000 cases of chicken wings meant for student take-home meals from July 2020 to February 2022.

The fraud was uncovered after an audit revealed a $300,000 budget overage, NBC 5 Chicago has reported.

Liddell picked up the orders using a district van but never delivered the food to the schools. She pleaded guilty to theft and operating a financial criminal enterprise.

Written by B.C. Begley