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Rita Crundwell was the type of person that everyone trusted. As the comptroller and treasurer of the small town of Dixon, Illinois, she was well-versed in company finances. Whenever anyone had a question, they were advised to “ask Rita.” In 2011, the city commissioner praised Rita as someone who “looks after every tax dollar as if it were her own.” What the commissioner and the rest of Dixon did not realize until the next year was that Rita Crundwell took this view quite literally.

In addition to her trusted position with the city, Rita was also a champion quarter horse breeder. She had won 52 world thoroughbred championships and owned hundreds of horses. The competitions often took Rita away from her city job, but she would dock her pay for the extra time she took off. In 2011 during one of her trips, a city clerk took over Rita’s job while she was away and came across a bank account in the city’s name that made no sense to her. Money from the account was being used to purchase lavish items such as jewelry and boats. The suspicious account was reported to the mayor and then the FBI. After taking five months to build their case, the FBI arrested Rita Crundwell for municipal fraud on April 17, 2012.

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