How much would someone have to steal in order for it to be totally shocking? As a recovering thief who stole from any and everyone I know the depths people will go to get what they need or just to take when they can.
That said there are some figures so staggering that it takes my breath away. The following story from the Chicago Tribune about a small city being ripped off to the tune of $30 million!
The question remains that how could Rita Crundwell steal that immense sum from the tiny town of Dixon, Illinois. It is especially harrowing since she certainly did not need the money she stole! In addition to being the town’s comptroller, she also ran one of the most successful horse farms in America.
The 58-year-old Crundwell will certainly pay for her crime! She was led from City Hall in handcuffs on charges she misappropriated more than $30 million in city funds in just the last six years. Much of the money went to pay to operate the champion horse breeder's Meri-J Ranch.
The size of the losses represents a staggering hit for the small northwest Illinois town with a budget of only about $8 million to $9 million a year, leaving residents bewildered.
With a city salary of $80,000 a year, Crundwell lived extravagantly, spending huge sums on her horse farms in Dixon and Beloit, Wis., that raised champion quarter horses, as well as $340,000 on jewelry since mid-2006 and $2.1 million to buy a luxury motor home fit for a rock star.
The city of Dixon is best-known as the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan.
The crook used a secret bank account to conceal her lavish spending on personal expenses.
Getting Caught
Crundwell created her own downfall. She always took four months off a year, all but one unpaid to supposedly run her horse business. On one of her out of town jaunts an employee filling in for Crundwell asked the city's bank for all its statements and discovered a suspicious account that was the source of multiple six-figure transactions. She brought it to the attention of the mayor who immediately contacted the FBI.
What makes this especially sad is that Crundwell has worked for the city since she was a teenager, starting in a part-time job before being appointed comptroller in the early 1980s.
A sad story that a Illinois theft class may have helped avoid. At this point she needs a theft class and to spend some time behind bars. Hopefully, the city will be able to receive some restitution if she has to sell off personal assets to cover her theft!