By Clay LePard
clepard@cbs4qc.com
It's the single largest case of municipal
fraud in U.S. history.
Rita Crundwell stole more than $53 million from
the city of Dixon when she was comptroller.
Now, as she awaits sentencing, her belongings
hit the auction block.
Rita Crundwell's Dixon home is filled with
luxuries like a baby grand piano, a tanning bed and even a resort for her dogs.
"The dog kennel was air conditioned in
the summer and heated in the winter," says Jason Wojdylo, Chief Inspector
for the U.S. Marshals.
When Rita Crundwell built her home next to
her childhood house, she spared no expense.
"While the city of Dixon was closing its
pools because they couldn't afford to operate them, the defendant built one
complete with a sauna," Wojdylo adds.
U.S. Marshals are not selling her Dixon or
Florida homes just yet, but nearly everything else is up for grabs, including a
Dixon house and 43 acres of farmland as well as two farm buildings.
Bidding for those properties will end December
21st.
There's also an online auction for her
furniture and personal belongings.
That auction ends at 1p.m. Saturday.
You can
view the items by clicking here.
"Every dollar we can recover on
furniture, on the horses, on the real estate, the vehicles and the vessels - it's
critically important to us," says Wojdylo.
All the money earned will go in escrow and
eventually back to the city of Dixon.
But marshals say they'll never come close to
recovering all $53 million.
"There was a lot of consumables that money
was spent on," Wojdylo adds. "Unfortunately, we will not be able to recover
that, but any asset we can identify that has value - we will pursue."
U.S. Marshals have not set a timeline yet for
when her Dixon home will go up for sale.
