President Biden made history Thursday by commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 49 people, making it the largest single-day clemency act in modern history.
In this drastic step, Biden shaved years off the prison sentence of a person convicted of the largest local embezzlement in U.S. history, infuriating the current leaders of the small town she stole from.
The list of inmates released by Biden who have been under home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic includes a man convicted of stealing nearly $54 in 2013 and serving nearly 20 years; They included Rita Crundwell, a former city auditor in Dixon, Illinois, who was sentenced to prison. A town of 15,000 people has attracted 1 million people in 20 years.
Crundwell, now 71, admitted to embezzling from the city of Dixon while he was comptroller and using the stolen funds to support a lavish lifestyle. The funds include financing a horse breeding business, purchasing real estate, and purchasing more than 40 vehicles and cars. Luxury motorhome.
According to CBS News, Crundwell is scheduled to pay off 85% of his sentence, which will keep him in prison until October 20, 2029. However, she was released from house arrest early on August 4, 2021, and remained there until Biden commuted her sentence this week.
Current Dixon City Manager Danny Langrossa reacted to Biden's commutation of Crandwell's sentence, saying, “Shocked by the announcement that President Biden has pardoned Rita Crundwell for the largest local embezzlement in our nation's history.'' “We are outraged by this,” he said in a statement. . “This is a complete travesty of justice and a slap in the face to our entire community.”
“While today's news is unimaginable, the City of Dixon is in an alarming situation today,” Langrossa added. “We remain focused on the future and work to capitalize on the momentum we have generated to date.”
