Biden commutes sentence of former Dixon, Illinois, comptroller Rita Crundwell, convicted in largest municipal embezzlement in US history
President Biden made history on Thursday when he commuted the jail sentences of nearly 1,500 people and granted 49 pardons, marking the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
In the sweeping move, Biden shaved years off the sentence of the person convicted in the largest municipal embezzlement in U.S. history, angering the current leaders of the small town she stole from.
Included in the list of inmates Biden released who had been placed under home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic was Rita Crundwell, the former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to nearly 20 years behind bars for stealing nearly $54 million from the town of 15,000 people over two decades.
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Crundwell, now 71, admitted to embezzling from the city of Dixon during her time as comptroller, using the stolen funds to support a lavish lifestyle, which included bankrolling her horse breeding operation, purchasing real estate, and buying more than four dozen vehicles and a luxury motor home.
Rita Crundwell, former comptroller for the City of Dixon, Ill., turns away as her attorney briefly speaks with the media after Crundwell pleaded guilty in federal court in Rockford, Ill., on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012. Crundwell stole over $53 million. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/MCT / Getty Images)
Crundwell was set to serve out 85% of her sentence, which would have kept her in prison until Oct. 20, 2029, according to CBS News. But she was released on house arrest early on Aug. 4, 2021, where she remained until Biden commuted her sentence this week.
“The City of Dixon is shocked and outraged with the announcement that President Biden has given Rita Crundwell clemency for the largest municipal embezzlement in the history of our country,” current Dixon City Manager Danny Langlossa said in a statement reacting to Biden’s commutation of Crundwell’s sentence. “This is a complete travesty of justice and a slap in the face for our entire community.”
“While today’s news is unimaginable, the City of Dixon is in an incredible place today,” Langlossa added. “We will continue to focus on the future and work to capitalize on the momentum we have created.”
