DePaul Filmmaker Develops Documentary On Dixon's Rita Crundwell
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new documentary film is in the works about one of the biggest municipal thefts in history.
Kelly Richmond Pope is a documentary filmmaker and a forensic accounting expert at DePaul University.
Her movie, "All The Queen's Horses," tells the story of Rita Crundwell, who embezzled $54 million over the 20 years she served as the comptroller of the small Illinois town of Dixon.
"If it can happen in Dixon, it can happen anywhere," Pope said. "We're talking about a small town with approximate population of 16,000, annual budget between $6 and $8 million.
"So if one person can embezzle that much money from a small town, just imagine what is happening all over the globe."
Pope is working with Chicago's Kartemquin Films and is now raising money for distribution.
She hopes it will be ready for release in the middle of next year.