Among the 1,500 prison sentences commuted by Joe Biden last week was Rita Crundwell, who was behind bars for stealing more than $53 million from a small town in Illinois where she was the comptroller.
Crundwell, now 71, admitted to embezzling from the city of Dixon for over two decades. She was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.
Crundwell used the money she embezzled from Dixon to fund her horse breeding operation, purchase real estate, and buy more than four dozen vehicles and a luxury motor home.
She was set to serve out 85% of her sentence, which would have kept her in prison until Oct. 20, 2029, according to CBS News. But she was released on house arrest early on Aug. 4, 2021, where she remained until Biden commuted her sentence last week.
"The City of Dixon is shocked and outraged with the announcement that President Biden has given Rita Crundwell clemency for the largest municipal embezzlement in the history of our country," current Dixon City Manager Danny Langlossa said in a statement. "This is a complete travesty of justice and a slap in the face for our entire community."
"While today's news is unimaginable, the City of Dixon is in an incredible place today," Langlossa added. "We will continue to focus on the future and work to capitalize on the momentum we have created."
Biden has vowed “more steps in the weeks ahead,” adding he is looking for more ways to “advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances.”
Earlier this month, Biden issued a pardon for his son Hunter Biden after previously vowing not to.
Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman called for Biden to extend the same courtesy to President-elect Donald Trump, specifically noting the president-elect's New York hush money case, in which he was found guilty on 34 felony counts.
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