Chris Jones, a defensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs, is working to aid in the release of a known offender who was involved in the theft of chicken wings, by offering to help repay the $1.5 million worth of stolen goods.
Vera Liddell, a 68-year-old cafeteria employee, allegedly orchestrated a scheme over her nearly ten-year tenure at a Chicago primary school, where she unlawfully took more than 11,000 cases of chicken wings.
In her role as food service director for Harvey School District 152, Liddell was tasked with food purchasing. Over a span of 19 months (from July 2020 to February 2022), she managed to steal approximately $1.5 million worth of chicken, which prompted the district to notice a significant overspend within the school’s budget.
This was revealed during a routine audit, when the school’s business manager discovered that food expenditures had exceeded budgetary limits by $300,000, with several months still left in the school year, as reported by WGN.
The stolen chicken wings were meant for a meal kit initiative subsidized by the city to provide meals for students during school closures due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, students did not benefit from this program, as Liddell’s operation involved using a school van to transport the food elsewhere.
I’ll cover the wings she stole to secure her freedom https://t.co/0mr1Bl9dWR
— Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) August 13, 2024
After achieving consecutive Super Bowl wins, Jones signed a five-year contract valued at $158.75 million, which includes $101 million guaranteed. It appears he intends to use some of these funds to help settle Liddell’s debts to the school district, with the aim of potentially facilitating her early release.
However, Liddell will still be required to serve her nine-year sentence following her guilty plea for theft and for operating a criminal organization, as the legal system does not function in that manner.
Image Source: Debby Wong / Shutterstock
