Dismiss Crundwell’s case?

In his motion, Lee County Public Defender Bob Thompson said Crundwell’s plea agreement in her federal wire fraud charge included “acts and dates” also contained in the Lee County indictment.

Although theft and wire fraud are different charges, Crundwell admitted in the federal case to stealing nearly $54 million in city funds “from as early as” Dec. 18, 1990, until April 17, 2012, the day she was arrested at Dixon City Hall, Thompson wrote.
The Fifth Amendment has a double jeopardy clause that prohibits the government from prosecuting a person more than once for the same crime, or from imposing more than one sentence for the same crime. Each state has the same provision in its criminal code.

A date to hear the motion likely will be set at Crundwell’s March 4 status hearing.
Thompson declined to comment on the motion.

Crundwell, 60, was sentenced last week to 19 years, 7 months in federal prison. She admitted stealing nearly $54 million in city money to fund her world-renowned quarter horse operation and her lavish lifestyle.

In September, she was indicted in Lee County on 60 counts of theft of government property. The indictment accuses her of stealing more than $11 million between Jan. 19, 2010, and April 16, 2012. Each charge is punishable by six to 30 years in prison. If convicted, her sentence would run concurrently to her federal sentence.

In his motion, Thompson argues Illinois criminal code prohibits prosecutors from trying a defendant when the facts necessary to convict have been conclusively determined by a prior prosecution.

Thompson pointed to comments made by U.S. District Judge Philip Reinhard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Pedersen at Crundwell’s sentencing last week, that the acts in the federal case are the same as those in the state case.

“The ‘issue of ultimate fact,’ whether the defendant had the intent to defraud and deprive the city of Dixon permanently of its money, has been decided,” Thompson wrote.