Kansas City Chiefs player offers to cover $1.5M in stolen chicken wings to free woman

Despite her being convicted of stealing food from kids during the COVID pandemic, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones offered to cover the $1.5 million worth of chicken wings stolen by a former food service director in exchange for the woman's release from prison.

Vera Liddell, who served in the director role for Harvey School District 152 near Chicago, is incarcerated at the Cook County Jail for theft and operating a criminal enterprise, WGN, ABC News and CBS News reported. She pleaded guilty on Aug. 9 to the charges and got a nine-year prison sentence, the outlets said, citing prosecutors.

The 68-year-old Liddell stole the mounds of meat intended to be take-home meals for students learning remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, WGN reported, citing Cook County prosecutors.

In a social media post Tuesday, Jones said, "I'll pay for the wings that she stole to get her free."

How did Vera Liddell steal the chicken wings?

Liddell's job involved placing orders with Gordon Food Services, a main supplier for the school district, prosecutors said, according to ABC News. She placed the orders and did the billing but kept the chicken wings between July 2020 and February 2022, prosecutors said.

Between August and November 2021, Liddell ordered more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings from the food provider and then picked up the orders in a district cargo van, CBS News said, citing prosecutors.

“The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school,” read a proffer presented at Liddell’s bond hearing in 2023, according to WGN. “Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.”

The chicken theft operation was discovered in 2023 when an audit found that the district's food service department exceeded its annual budget by $300,000 halfway through the school year, prosecutors said, according to ABC News.

The business manager for the district then found the invoices for the chicken wings, which was odd because it is a food item that wouldn't be served to students because they contain bones, the outlet said, citing court records.

USA TODAY contacted Gordon Food Services and the school district but has not received responses.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.