True Confession: I once shoplifted with my friends when we were 13. Bold and with a lack of fear that only accompanies youth, we stuffed our bookbags full of cosmetics from the makeup aisle in a grocery store. It was a local California chain that I shall not name in case the statute of limitations hasn't run out. I may still be considered a fugitive. I am unsure, but why take chances?  The FBI can still throw my ass in prison.  Regarding our schoolbags, when I say stuffed, I mean jam-packed with anything we could get young sticky fingers on. We had an intricate, dare I say, brilliant system, too. Like the budding criminals we were, our plan was executed with precision. We distracted the bored, older woman worker who had been eyeing us with far too much interest by knocking over a display with a loud OH I AM SO SORRY! Like we foresaw, she shot us the barely concealed look of hostility and resignation and started reorganizing the cardboard cutout of some model with shelves of sh...

In 1990, Rita Crundwell assumed the role of comptroller in Dixon, Illinois. After serving for seven years, she clandestinely established the Reserve Sewer Capital Development Account (RSCDA) and utilized it to siphon off nearly $2.5 million annually from the city. By 2008, she had illicitly obtained a staggering $5.8 million, a substantial portion of Dixon's modest annual budget, which ranged between $8-9 million. Over 22 years, Crundwell embezzled upwards of $53 million and lavishly funded her lifestyle. She established and operated RC Quarter Horses, a renowned horse breeding enterprise, with her horses achieving an impressive 52 world championships. Additionally, she acquired a 45-foot motorhome and indulged in extended vacations. Crundwell deceitfully attributed the city's financial shortfall to the state's delayed tax payments, resulting in severe cutbacks in essential services across Dixon. Basically, the psychopath endangered people's lives so she could cha cha c...