President Biden made historical past on Thursday when he commuted the jail sentences of almost 1,500 folks and granted 49 pardons, marking the biggest single-day act of clemency in trendy historical past.
Within the sweeping transfer, Biden shaved years off the sentence of the individual convicted within the largest municipal embezzlement in U.S. historical past, angering the present leaders of the small city she stole from.
Included within the listing of inmates Biden launched who had been positioned below house confinement through the COVID-19 pandemic was Rita Crundwell, the previous comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to almost 20 years behind bars for stealing almost $54 million from the city of 15,000 folks over twenty years.
Crundwell, now 71, admitted to embezzling from town of Dixon throughout her time as comptroller, utilizing the stolen funds to assist a lavish way of life, which included bankrolling her horse breeding operation, buying actual property, and shopping for greater than 4 dozen autos and a luxurious motor house.
Crundwell was set to serve out 85% of her sentence, which might have stored her in jail till Oct. 20, 2029, in line with CBS Information. However she was launched on home arrest early on Aug. 4, 2021, the place she remained till 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,” present Dixon Metropolis Supervisor Danny Langlossa stated in an announcement 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.”
