Official stole millions to buy horses, say Ill. cops
By
Edecio Martinez
/ CBS News
This Nov. 2011 photo provided on April 18, 2012, by The American Quarter Horse Journal, shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill., posing with Pizzazzy Lady at the 2011 American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show in Oklahoma City. On Tuesday, April 17, 2012, FBI agents arrested Crundwell, the Dixon comptroller, on charges that she stole more than $3.2 million in public funds from the city of Dixon in just a matter of months. She also was accused of misappropriating more than $30 million since 2006 to finance a lavish lifestyle, including operating a horse farm. On Feb. 14, 2013, Crudwell was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for embezzling over $53 million from Dixon over the course of two decades.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill., on the left.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
This screen grab of a YouTube video produced in 2011 shows Rita Crundwell, of Dixon, Ill.
Dixon, Ill., Mayor Jim Burke speaks during a news conference Wednesday morning, April 18, 2012, to address the arrest Tuesday of city Comptroller Rita Crundwell.
In this Tuesday, April 17, 2012, photo, Jim Burke, mayor of Dixon, Ill., begins an emergency meeting of the Dixon City Council to discuss wire fraud charges against city comptroller Rita Crundwell.
Dixon, Ill., city council commissioners and city employees flank Mayor Jim Burke, center, as he reads a statement Wednesday, April 18, 2012, concerning the arrest Tuesday of city Comptroller Rita Crundwell.
In this Tuesday, April 17, 2012, photo, federal agents enter Dixon City Hall in Dixon, Ill., as part of their investigation of Illinois comptroller Rita Crundwell.