President Biden made history on Thursday when he commuted the prison sentences of nearly 1,500 people and granted clemency to 49 people, the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history.
In a sweeping move, Biden commuted several years to the sentence of a man convicted of the largest municipal embezzlement in US history, angering current leaders of the small town where he stole.
Also included on the list of inmates released by Biden who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic was Rita Crundwell, the former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted in 2013 and nearly 54. He was sentenced to nearly 20 years behind bars for the theft of the dollars. million from a town of 15,000 people in two decades.
Crundwell, now 71, admitted to embezzling from the city of Dixon during her time as comptroller, using the stolen funds to support a lavish lifestyle, including her horse stable. This included financing the breeding operation, purchasing real estate, and purchasing more than four dozen vehicles and a. Luxury motor home.
Crundwell was scheduled to serve 85% of his sentence, which would have kept him in prison until October 20, 2029, according to CBS News. But she was released to house arrest as early as August 4, 2021, where she remained until Biden commuted her sentence this week.
Current Dickson City Manager Danny Langlosa responded to Biden’s commutation of Crundwell’s sentence, saying in a statement, “The City of Dickson is shocked and outraged by the announcement that President Biden has impeached Rita for the largest municipal embezzlement in our nation’s history. Crundwell has been pardoned.” , “This is a complete travesty of justice and a slap in the face to our entire community.”
“Although today’s news is unimaginable, the City of Dixon is in an incredible place today,” Langlosa said. “We will continue to focus on the future and work to capitalize on the momentum we have built.”
(Tags to translate) US news(T) corruption(T) fraud(T) Illinois(T) Joe Biden(T) sentence
