GUILTY IL - Rita Crundwell for embezzlement, Dixon, 2012

DEPUTYDAWG

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Well, I have watched this lady show the best AQHA horses for years...
Watched her haul into the World Championship shows with 6-7 rigs with all her horses, STAFF, etc. Known as Rita's "caravans." Now we know how she afforded it, "allegedly."


Ugh!

Now accused of taking over $30 million since 2006 from Dixon, IL - a city that has had to close down the swimming pool, etc. because the city didn't have the funds. Gee, wonder why!

This makes me sick.

And it amazes me how, in this day and age, a city government didn't realize MILLIONS were gone...I guess you can say an average of over $5million/year!


http://www.equinechronicle.com/brea...isappropriating-30-million-in-city-funds.html
 
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/new...arged-stealing-millions-public-funds-20120417

Dixon Comptroller Charged With Stealing Millions in Public Funds
Updated: Friday, 20 Apr 2012, 7:09 AM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 17 Apr 2012, 3:01 PM CDT

By Craig Wall, FOX Chicago News and Sun-Times Media Wire

Rockford, Ill. - The comptroller of Dixon was arrested and charged Tuesday for allegedly stealing more than $30 million in city funds since 2006 to furnish her lavish lifestyle, which included a horse farm, seven tractor-trailer trucks and a $2.1 million motor home, according to a federal complaint.

Rita A. Crundwell, 58, of Dixon, was charged with one federal count of wire fraud filed last Friday in U.S. District Court of Rockford and unsealed Tuesday following her arrest.

Dixon is about 42 miles southwest of Rockford with a population of approximately 15,733, the complaint said.

Crundwell has held the appointed position of Dixon comptroller since the early 1980s and handles all finances for the city, the complaint said. She earned an annual salary of $80,000.
 
wow. this went on for six years?! an $80,000 annual salary wasn't enough for her ...

she'll plead not guilty, of course - wonder if she'll try to drag any others down with her 'cause someone knew - in a town that small, someone knew ... or was involved
 
How disgusting! Stealing from your town, your job, your neighbors, in order to "best" them in a competitive "show" business! Total sociopath, imo, and if she's a narcissist too, she might plead guilty for lessor time-- to avoid having the details exposed bit by bit.

Looks like there's going to be a pretty fancy auction coming to town-- her horses too, I imagine-- who's going to buy a motor home worth more than a nice house in Los Angeles ($2.1 million for her rolling motel!)? Dang!


:jail: Yippee-i-o-ki-ay, nutjob!! :jail:
 
wow. this went on for six years?! an $80,000 annual salary wasn't enough for her ...

she'll plead not guilty, of course - wonder if she'll try to drag any others down with her 'cause someone knew - in a town that small, someone knew ... or was involved

In the "horse world," her $$$ was always talked about, since people knew she was a city comptroller. It was always whispered that she inherited the funds and/or that she made the profits from her highly successful showing...breeding, selling the championship horses, etc.

So wow...imagine the industry's surprise at this. People who have shown against her are so angry - and now realize why she kept her job. She had to! Not for the $80K salary, but to keep the funds being diverted to her private accounts.

In the FBI affidavit, it said she had a "family member" pick up the City of Dixon's mail (bank account statements, etc.)...and the "family member" wasn't a city employee. ///// What???? Did any city member know a non-city employee was picking up the mail at the PO Box? Amazing.

This is going to be interesting to watch, as more comes out.
 
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation...rundwell-dixon-illinois/54420344/1?csp=34news

Rita Crundwell charged with embezzling $30 million


Rita Crundwell is known in Dixon, Ill., as the town comptroller and a world-class horse breeder who dresses to impress. But FBI agents paint a different picture: They say she embezzled $30 million from her hometown.

$30 mil from a small town!
Ugh and you got to watch their embezzled funds at work. This lady better go to jail for a long long time.:maddening:

The citizens will probably have to make up the difference since I greatly doubt she has that many millions left. More taxes, less school and community projects, city employee pensions cut, city employee health care costs go up, no raises. No money for parks, road repairs, demolishing abandoned homes and buildings. City services and hours cut...all because of this incredible selfish person's own wants.
 
I don't think our city generates that much revenue except maybe every five years! HOLY COW!!! er.......... HORSE!?

:nevermind:
 
Here's a article with a picture of her $258K horse trailer! Look at the graphics at the top of it, it's like a mural of all her horses and disciplines. Okay, MOST trailers and rigs in horse show parking lots have the trainers' name and city, etc. on it. Maybe a nice little logo, LOL.

Remember, she'd haul in at the big shows with her motor homes (at least 2, because ranch hands = staff!) had to stay there...and then 3-4 horse trailers behind. Seriously.


http://www.ratemyhorsepro.com/news/aqha-breeder-arrested-by-fbi-charged.aspx


Note:

There is a link at the end to the FBI document.
 
If this fraudster was a bankster instead....she could get the SEC to slap a $5,000 fine on her and admit neither guilt or innocence. She just has to promise not to do it again, change her business practices and give up part of her bonus.

Looks like she picked the wrong career for her thieving ways.
 
Usually you can point to failing to get the annual audit done as part of the problem, but the article said the annual audits have been done and the auditor had not noticed anything wrong.

:panic:
 
what nerve!
surely she knew it couldn't last forever

meanwhile, looks like a nice setup for horsey biz


map it:

1556 Red Brick Rd
Dixon, IL 61021-8328
 
$30,000,000.00!!!! In five yrs she charged over 2 and 1/2 million on her American Express! OMG. It is just obscene. And when she got caught she had taken a months paid vacation plus 12 wks. The only thing she worked at was taking the money.
 
If this fraudster was a bankster instead....she could get the SEC to slap a $5,000 fine on her and admit neither guilt or innocence. She just has to promise not to do it again, change her business practices and give up part of her bonus.

Looks like she picked the wrong career for her thieving ways.


Or open a company called Solyndra and bilk us poor schmucks for $500 Million and NEVER be charged with a crime.
 
Usually you can point to failing to get the annual audit done as part of the problem, but the article said the annual audits have been done and the auditor had not noticed anything wrong.

:panic:
An ex Arthur Anderson Enron auditor?

Legally blind without the Braille version?

Drunk at the time?

I'd like to see the auditor investigated...something doesn't smell right.
 
An ex Arthur Anderson Enron auditor?

Legally blind without the Braille version?

Drunk at the time?

I'd like to see the auditor investigated...something doesn't smell right.

In one article I read last night, it said there had been 2 auditing firms...and no one caught this. Huh? Oh, and wow, is what I've got to say.

I'd love to know what prompted the "substitute" comptroller to become suspicious. Kudos to that employee.

I can't imagine being Rita right now. Frozen assets, and now every City of Dixon, IL citizen has every right to be angry with her. She's limited to traveling only in her IL property area and her Wisconsin property....is that in any of the articles I've linked? I've read so many...she has a SECOND property in Wisconsin. She's going from "lavish lifestyle" to...how will she pay for gas and food, etc.? Oh how the mighty fall....

For the horses' sake, I hope the FBI is going to be monitoring their care appropriately. There is someone here in Central TX showing one of her horses this weekend. Guess he won't get reimbursed the trailering/hauling fee, reimbursement of his expenses, etc. Or, he will, but after it's assigned to the court to manage it.

Wonder what the ramifications are going to be for her business partner in that?!?!? Did he know?!?!
 
In one article I read last night, it said there had been 2 auditing firms...and no one caught this. Huh? Oh, and wow, is what I've got to say.

I'd love to know what prompted the "substitute" comptroller to become suspicious. Kudos to that employee.

I can't imagine being Rita right now. Frozen assets, and now every City of Dixon, IL citizen has every right to be angry with her. She's limited to traveling only in her IL property area and her Wisconsin property....is that in any of the articles I've linked? I've read so many...she has a SECOND property in Wisconsin. Wonder what the ramifications are going to be for her business partner in that?!?!? Did he know?!?!

My hero....send them to Washington quick!
 
Guess the FBI/Gov't may put the kabosh on her July 2012 annual sale...or they can have it and hand over a big check to the City of Dixon!


http://www.equinechronicle.com/spon...e-2012-rc-quarter-horses-production-sale.html

On July 28, 2012, over 75 horses owned by Rita Crundwell sell at her RC Quarter Horses ranch in Dixon, Illinois. Mark your calendar now because this is an absolute sale with NO reserves…every horse will sell to the highest bidder. With Rita’s proven track record for breeding winners, this sale is sure to offer a golden opportunity for buyers looking for anything from weanlings to proven World Champions.

Rita is not only one of AQHA’s Leading Breeders, she is also AQHA’s Leading Owner of World Champions – for the last eight years straight. Rita’s breeding program has produced 84 World or Reserve World Championships and horses bred by Rita have earned $490,056

- - - - -

In the above article, it has a link to her ranch's website...LOL, someone's already pulled it down..."check back" later.

Well maybe Rita did that herself...she's apparently got time on her hands now...can't go to shows and can't go to work :)
 
Yeah, I told people at work that night I think that's what woke me up, the sound of so many chins collectively hitting the floor. LOL.

A few years ago people of Dixon tried to raise the $1,000,000 to have the Memorial City pool refurbished to keep it open and sadly were unable to raise the necessary monies. And here she is, reportedly spending over $5,000 a month on jewelery alone. Screw the kids and their pool, Rita needs a new fur coat.

Her horse farm here in Illinois is quite large and I read that the one she has in Wisconsin is the big one, I'd like to get a peek at that one, it must be something else.

How sad for a little city of 16,000. I am amazed that kind of money was even going through that office much less that she was able to steal it right from under the publice nose. Mayor Jim Burke says they're going to hire a new accounting firm. Ya think?
 

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