A treasure trove of jewellery, watches and bullion that once belonged to Rita Crundwell, the former Dixon, Illinois comptroller sentenced to 19.5 years is prison for the embezzlement of more than $53m from the city's coffers, has raised significant sums in an online auction, which closed on February 23.
 Crundwell’s diamond encrusted SpongeBob SquarePants pendant |
Crundwell's jewellery alone achieved $258,000.
A gold ring featuring a horse shoe motif brought the highest bid for an item of jewellery, selling for $12,300, while Crundwell's diamond encrusted SpongeBob SquarePants pendant made $2,000.
Watches and bullion also performed well: 24 PAMP Suisse 100g gold bars sold for a combined $123,800, while Crundwell's diamond-set Rolex Oyster brought $9,600.
At the time of her arrest, Crundwell, who had been among the most highly regarded citizens of Dixon, also owned 400 horses, which auctioned in September 2012. Three-time world champion quarter horse Good I Will Be topped the sale, bringing $775,000.
It is believed that of the $53m Crundwell pleaded guilty to stealing, only $10.5m is likely to ever be recovered.
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