In a tale that sounds more like a script for a comedy than real life, a cafeteria worker from Illinois has found herself in hot water—specifically, for pilfering a whopping $1.5 million (Rs. 450,000,000) worth of chicken wings from the school district where she worked.
Vera Liddell, 68, who was the director for the food service for the district, has been sentenced to nine years in prison. Her crime? Ordering a staggering 11,000 cases of chicken wings between August and November 2021. Unfortunately, those wings were meant to help feed underprivileged kids during the pandemic shutdown, but they never made it past the delivery truck.
On August 9, Liddell admitted to the charges of theft and running a criminal enterprise. It turns out she had financial troubles, having filed for bankruptcy twice in Chicago in 2009 and 2016. Despite her struggles, her grand plan of wing thievery has landed her a long sentence.
Football Player for Her Rescue
But here’s where the story takes a surprising turn. In an unexpected act of generosity, a star football player Chris Jones, a Defensive Tackle of the Kansas City Chiefs, stepped in to make things right. Moved by Liddell’s plight and the circumstances surrounding her case, the athlete decided to use his own money to bail her out, covering the full $1.5 million in a gesture that stunned many. Jones had expressed his willingness in a post on “X”, “I’ll pay for the wings that she stole to get her free”.
When her lawyer saw reports that an NFL star wanted to put down his own money to get a local cafeteria worker out of prison, he thought it was a hoax, per news reports. Unfortunately, her lawyers say, Jones’s offer is complicated by the fact that she has already been sentenced and placed in state custody as a convicted felon. But they have 30 days from her sentencing to submit a motion to vacate her earlier plea and request payment of restitution instead.
Liddell is set to be released on August 3, 2030, and will be eligible for parole in 2029.
