WASHINGTON – The U.S. Marshals are auctioning approximately 376 lots, many horse-related, once belonging to Rita Crundwell,the former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, who was convicted of fraud in 2012 for stealing $53.7 million from the city over two decades. These are items that did not sell in two separate auctions held at the end of 2015, and opening bids have been lowered.
The current online auction runs through Feb. 2 at www.txauction.com. Items for sale include jewelry, show and riding clothing, nine horse-show belt-buckle awards, cowboy boots, horse equipment, a Viking stainless steel grill, household items, artworks and a Yamaha scooter.
“Following the sale of these items, we anticipate another restitution payment will be issued to the city of Dixon,” said Chief Inspector Jason Wojdylo with the U.S. Marshals Service Asset Forfeiture Division. “This may be the final opportunity to purchase property from this case.”
The two auctions held in late 2015 yielded $118,832, and a sealed bid auction for Crundwell’s large collection of trophies brought in $5,560.
Crundwell, 63, was one of the leading breeders of Quarter Horses in the U.S. She was sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison in 2013 and is serving her sentence at Waseca Federal Correctional Institute in Minnesota.