A 68-year-old cafeteria consultant from Illinois had admitted to stealing $1.5 million in chicken wings to feed a gambling habit. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones wants to buy her a literal get-out-of-jail-free card.
Via People.com, Jones has offered to pay for the stolen wings in order to secure the freedom of Vera Liddell. She divered some 11,000 cases of chicken wings between July 2020 and February 2022.
“She’s just a little sweetheart that’s got a gambling problem,” attorney Patrick O’Byrne told People.com. “She feels beyond terrible about this. This is totally uncharacteristic of her. It was the disease taking over.”
It could be too late for Jones to supply a cure. Liddell has already pleaded guilty, and she has received a sentence of nine years in prison.
Per the report, her attorneys have 30 days from her August 9 sentencing to file a motion to vacate her guilty plea and request a payment of restitution instead.
“The clock is ticking,” attorney Gregory LaPapa said. “And Chris Jones has to be there with a checkbook.”
He’s apparently serious about it. It remains to be seen whether Jones’s generosity will result in Vera Liddell avoiding nearly a decade behind bars.