Ex-School Worker Gets 9 Years for Stealing $1.5 Million Worth of Chicken Wings from School District

A former food services director from Dolton, IL, has been sentenced to nine years in prison after admitting to stealing over $1.5 million worth of food, mainly chicken wings, from a south suburban school district. Vera Lidell, 68, worked for Harvey School District 152 when the thefts occurred.

Between July 2020 and February 2022, Lidell placed unauthorized orders through the district’s main supplier, Gordon Food Service, including 11,000 cases of chicken wings. These orders were separate from the district’s legitimate food purchases.

During this time, students were learning remotely due to COVID-19, but the district still provided meals for families to pick up. Lidell used this opportunity to place the fraudulent orders. She would then reportedly use a school district van to pick up the food, which never reached the students.

The theft was discovered in January 2022 when a routine audit found that the food service department had overspent its budget by more than $300,000. A closer look at the invoices revealed that Lidell had signed off on numerous large orders of chicken wings, which were not part of the students’ meals.

Employees at Gordon Food Service recognized Lidell for her frequent large orders, and security footage showed her picking up the items.

In January 2023, Lidell was charged with felony theft, continuing a financial crime enterprise, and forgery. Her guilty plea has now resulted in a nine-year prison sentence.