Horsing Around - How A Champion Quarter-Horse Breeder Stole Millions

Rita Crundwell, Comptroller of the City of Dixon, Illinois and successful quarter-horse breeder, had no idea that her $53.7 million fraud would soon be coming to an end while she was away at an equine competition in October 2011.

While Crundwell was out of the office, Kathe Swanson, city clerk of Dixon, Illinois, was tasked with preparing Dixon’s fiscal report.  Since Crundwell never enabled the option to view statements online, typically she would have Swanson request statements only for specific account numbers. This time, when Swanson called the bank, she requested copies of all the statements for the City of Dixon.  When she received the statements, she identified an unknown reserve fund account with large recurring deposits.  Swanson brought this suspicious account to the attention of Dixon Mayor, Jim Burke, which prompted an FBI investigation.

During the investigation, Swanson uncovered the details of how Crundwell was stealing money from the city. The funds would initially be deposited into the Illinois Treasurer’s Investment Pool state account, and Crundwell would receive a fax notifying her that the money was in the account. Crundwell would then transfer the money to Dixon’s capital development account, a legitimate account, before writing a check payable to ‘treasurer’ and depositing it into the fraudulent reserve account. Using the fraudulent reserve account that she opened in December 1990, Crundwell was able to steal $53.7 million from the City of Dixon.

Using the stolen funds, Crundwell purchased hundreds of quarter horses, multiple properties, homes, vehicles, jewelry and a boat. During this time, she became a nationally recognized quarter-horse breeder through her business, RC Quarter Horses, LLC. Crundwell was able to live out her dreams and extravagant lifestyle while the City of Dixon struggled financially.

After a six-month FBI investigation, Crundwell was indicted and plead guilty to wire fraud. She was sentenced to over 19 years in prison.  In 2018, Swanson was awarded the ACFE’s 2018 Sentinel Award for her courageous actions in uncovering a fraud that truly impacted an entire city.

If you think your organization might be a victim of fraud, contact Joel Rosenthal at 412.697.5387 or [email protected] or Alyssa Brunatti at 412.697.5371 or [email protected]. For similar articles, visit the Our Thoughts On blog.

You’ve heard our thoughts… We’d like to hear yours

The Schneider Downs Our Thoughts On blog exists to create a dialogue on issues that are important to organizations and individuals. While we enjoy sharing our ideas and insights, we’re especially interested in what you may have to say. If you have a question or a comment about this article – or any article from the Our Thoughts On blog – we hope you’ll share it with us. After all, a dialogue is an exchange of ideas, and we’d like to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Material discussed is meant for informational purposes only, and it is not to be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice. Please note that individual situations can vary. Therefore, this information should be relied upon when coordinated with individual professional advice.

© 2023 Schneider Downs. All rights-reserved. All content on this site is property of Schneider Downs unless otherwise noted and should not be used without written permission.

our thoughts on
Frauds of the Rich and the Famous: The Star-studded Saga of Jennifer Shah
Frauds of the Rich and Famous: The FTX Collapse and the Chrisleys
Frauds of the Rich and Famous: Billy McFarland and The Fyre Festival
Fraud Week 2023: Frauds of the Rich and the Famous
Fraudsters Might Have Stolen $200B in COVID-19 Aid
Tips to Minimize the Risk of Check Washing
Register to receive our weekly newsletter with our most recent columns and insights.
Have a question? Ask us!

We’d love to hear from you. Drop us a note, and we’ll respond to you as quickly as possible.

Ask us
contact us
Pittsburgh

This site uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best user experience. Cookies assist in navigation, analyzing traffic and in our marketing efforts as described in our Privacy Policy.

×