Prospective buyers will soon be able to bid on horses seized from embattled Quarter Horse breeder Rita Crundwell, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Earlier this year federal law enforcement agents arrested Crundwell and charged her with one count of wire fraud after a federal grand jury in Illinois indicted her for allegedly misappropriating $53 million in funds from the town of Dixon, where she had served as city comptroller since the 1980s. Crundwell pleaded not guilty to the wire fraud charge. More than 400 horses connected to the case were later seized and placed in the U.S. Marshals Service’s custody. Contractors were hired to manage the animals until they could be sold at auction with proceeds applied to restitution to Dixon.

On July 24, U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Jason R. Wojdylo said that the animals will be sold in mid-September at live auction at the Crundwell Red Brick Road Farm in Dixon. Professional Auction Services Inc., of Round Hill, Va., will carry out the sale of the horses and related equipment, Wojdylo said. The contractor will release auction dates on or before Aug. 1, he said.

"Contractor performance will be closely monitored by the U.S. Marshals Service to ensure the highest level of integrity," Wojdylo said