Ex-Comptroller of Small Illinois Town Pleads Not Guilty in $53M Theft Case

Originally accused of embezzling $30 million from a small Illinois town over the past six years or so, former comptroller Rita Crundwell is now accused of stealing $53 million from Dixon over a period of more than 20 years.

The 59-year-old pleaded not guilty in federal court in Rockford on Monday to a charge of wire fraud, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The feds say they have some 11,000 pages of documents supporting their claims that she stole to fund a lavish lifestyle that included a 300-horse breeding operation, a bus that cost more than $2 million and hundreds of thousands of dollars in jewelry.

Crundwell, whose assets have been frozen, is represented by a public defender. She declined to comment as she entered and exited court, the newspaper says.

Earlier coverage:

ABAJournal.com: "Longtime Comptroller Is Accused of Stealing $30M From Small Illinois Town in 6 Years"