8/1/2023 0 Comments Rita crundwell family![]() On the same day as her arrest, FBI agents obtained seizure warrants for her home property, Rita's Ranch, Meri-J Ranch and her city hall office. The investigation is continuing, he added. Attorney for the Northern Disrict of Illinois. "The government is pursuing both criminal and civil forfeiture proceedings to ensure that every available tool is being used to recover proceeds of the alleged fraud in order to recoup as much money as possible for the City of Dixon, its residents and taxpayers," said Patrick J. Marshals Service could move forward with selling as many as 400 quarter horses belonging to Crundwell. On June 15, a federal judge in Rockford, Ill., ruled that the U.S. The government also filed a civil lawsuit alleging that the quarter horses owned by Rita are subject to civil forfeiture because she purchased and/or maintained them with criminal fraud proceeds. Many of these assets were seized when Rita was arrested, and the government requested on May 2 a restraining order on the real estate that is allegedly subject to criminal forfeiture. 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 2007 H2 Hummer, 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. The Department of Justice says as part of the fraud scheme, Rita allegedly created fictitious invoices purported to be from the State of Illinois to show the city's auditors that the funds she was fraudulently depositing into the RSCDA account were being used for a legitimate purpose. The period of the alleged fraud spanned more than two decades. The estimated total now is more than $53 million. The investigation was expanded again - to 1990 – 2012 - when actual dates were obtained for Crundwell's 1990 opening of the non-City of Dixon bank account with Fifth Third Bank in Ohio. Crundwell allegedly embezzled an estimated $34 million during that time. Since the initial arraignment, the investigation has been expanded to cover the 2006 - 2012 period. She plead not guilty to the charge of wire fraud. Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.Ĭrundwell, 59, who served as comptroller since 1983 and handled all of the city's finances, was released on her own recognizance on April 18. She was released on a $4,500 recognizance bond. The FBI arrested Crundwell on April 17 on one count of wire fraud, in the amount of $175,000, with the stipulation that more charges could be coming as the investigation unfolds. ![]() He and the council wanted to ensure that she wouldn't receive any pension benefits for her time. Crundwell had tried to resign over the weekend but the mayor rebuffed her. On April 23, 2012, the members of the Dixon (Ill.) City Council voted unanimously to fire Rita Crundwell, 59, the city's comptroller. She has pleaded not guilty to misappropriating $53 million in city funds. Six months later, agents arrested Crundwell. After a city clerk found a problem in the city's accounts, the mayor contacted the FBI. Her salary was $80,000 per year, but she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and was a nationally known horse breeder. As the comptroller for the small town of Dixon, Ill., since 1983, Rita Crundwell managed all financial aspects of the city funds, including transferring money between accounts, writing checks and authorizing payments.
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