CHICAGO (AP) — A federal appeals court is upholding a nearly 20-year prison sentence for a thieving former bookkeeper who stole almost $54 million from the northern Illinois community of Dixon. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago unanimously upheld Rita Crundwell’s 235-month sentence on Friday. Crundwell pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced in February to about 20 years in prison.