Former small-town city official stole more than $53 million from city

Former small-town city official stole more than $53 million from city
Fox Chicago News -- Published : Tuesday, 01 May 2012, 6:20 PM CDT

Rita Crundwell is the former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois.
(about 100 miles west of Chicago, population 15,000)

She held that job since 1983, and handled all the city's finances, including embezzling a cool $50 million or so !!!

Well she's been indicted now by the U.S. Attorney.

They have confiscated assets ....
wait till you see what she amassed during that rein of terror !!


Washington D.C. should be jealous !

Dixon - The former comptroller of Dixon is now accused of stealing more than 53 million dollars from the city -- 23 million dollars more than previously announced.

Rita Crundwell was indicted Tuesday on one count of wire fraud, according to Patrick Fitzgerald, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

Since Crundwell was arrested on April 17 and accused of misappropriating more than $30 million since 2006, further investigation resulted in the indictment’s expanded allegation that the fraud exceeded $53 million and spanned more than two decades.

No "horsing" around with this girl !

Crundwell owns RC Quarter Horses, LLC, and keeps her horses at her ranch on Red Brick Road in Dixon and at the Meri-J Ranch in Beloit , Wis. , as well as with various trainers across the country.

The indictment seeks criminal forfeiture of two residences and the horse farm in Dixon, a home in Englewood, Fla., a $2.1 million luxury motor home, more than a dozen trucks, trailers and other motorized farm vehicles, a 2005 Ford Thunderbird convertible, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette roadster, a pontoon boat, approximately $224,898 in cash from two bank accounts, and other assets allegedly purchased with fraud proceeds. Many of these assets were seized when Crundwell was arrested, and the government today requested a restraining order on the real estate that is allegedly subject to criminal forfeiture.

Wheeew !!! What a whopper !!

This woman has re-defined Corruption Incorporated !!

Everyone complains about poor and needy families on welfare and taking money from taxpayers, but what winds me up is when a person who ISN'T poor and needy takes taxpayer money like the woman in the OP.

She already had plenty but wanted more. Greed is the downfall of many.

Corruption like this is so rampant in the US, it's laughable. You'd think people around this lady would be asking a few questions or scratching their heads as to where she got all her money.

Something is VERY fishy with this story. This is a local story for me and I'll give updates when I get them.

A similar story happened last year in a City a bit bigger than Dixon and it was only 100,000 that was stolen. The City found there was missing money after the yearly audit and found the culprit... This woman got by with 53 million before she got busted? Something is not right with this picture.

reply to post by xuenchen


So........ let me get this right.....

A comptroller in podunk Illinois continuously quarter after quarter for nearly 30 years kept sending public complaints that the state of Illinois wasn't paying on the bonds and other debts that the city purchased. So she wires the difference and says "Hey, Illinois, you forgot to pay my podunk town again!"

For 30 years...

No one noticed? No said hey.. isn't it odd that we never delay our debt payments yet this one tiny little city always seems to get lost in the fold, losing nearly $53 million?

And the Illinois Department of Revenue never noticed the massive inflated personal income of a comptroller in a town of 15k?

And the IRS never bothered to audit the breeder of 53 World Champion race horses who just happens to be a full time public worker?

I'm thinking others had to have been paid off... it makes no sense at all...

reply to post by Rockpuck


And let's not forget the kicker.. rob a McDonalds for $50 bucks and go to jail for 10 years. Rob an entire city of $50m over a few decades and you get one wire fraud charge and released the next day "on your own recognizance"

I found an article that has more detail about her life and the progression of "wealth".

Piecing Crundwell together

One thing I found interesting was a mention of inheriting property from her mother. (on page 4)

Crundwell’s property at 1679 U.S. Route 52 is valued at $468,192. She acquired the property in 1986 from the estate of her mother, Caroline, who died 2 years earlier.

I wonder if she used the "I inherited money" excuse to her co-workers. That wouldn't surprise me. Still no excuse for someone not noticing earlier, like what RockPunk stated above.

OiO