Animal sanctuary founder arrested in kidnapping plot against former employee
Last edited Thu Mar 5, 2026, 08:25 AM - Edit history (2)
(CN) � Leo Grillo built his reputation saving animals nobody else wanted, founding a sprawling sanctuary in the high desert north of Los Angeles that he called the largest no-kill refuge of its kind in the world.
On Tuesday, federal authorities arrested him on charges that he had tried to use kidnapping to silence a woman who had beaten him in court.
The 77-year-old former actor was charged with attempted kidnapping after prosecutors say he spent months plotting to have a former employee abducted and flown to Mexico, where she and her husband would be held hostage until she agreed to settle a wrongful termination lawsuit that had resulted in a $6.7 million judgment against his organization, Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals, known as DELTA Rescue.
The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
https://www.courthousenews.com/animal-sanctuary-founder-arrested-in-kidnapping-plot-against-former-employee/
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