{"id":60496,"date":"2026-03-04T15:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=60496"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:43:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T23:43:52","slug":"california-animal-welfare-founder-arrested-in-alleged-kidnapping-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=60496","title":{"rendered":"California Animal Welfare Founder Arrested in Alleged Kidnapping Plot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LOS ANGELES\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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(Website Photo: LEO GRILLO DELTA RESCUE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The founder of an Acton-based animal welfare organization was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he plotted to kidnap a former employee who won a $6.7 million wrongful-termination judgment against him, the Justice Department stated Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leo Grillo, 77, of Acton, is charged with attempted kidnapping, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grillo was arrested Tuesday. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"According to an affidavit, Grillo leads Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals (DELTA) Rescue, an Acton organization that bills itself as the world\u2019s largest no-kill animal sanctuary of its kind. He also has worked as a film actor and producer.<\/span><\/p>\n

In November 2024, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded the victim $6,680,950 after finding DELTA Rescue liable for wrongful termination and related claims. <\/span><\/p>\n

The organization filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2025 and is appealing the judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege Grillo met an individual in Burbank in December 2025 to discuss the lawsuit and a planned documentary. <\/span><\/p>\n

During that meeting, he asked the person to use contacts in Mexico to gather information about the plaintiff.<\/span><\/p>\n

In January 2026, officials stated that Grillo allegedly met the individual again \u2014 unaware the person was cooperating with law enforcement \u2014 and spoke in coded terms about a \u201cdocumentary\u201d in which the woman and a family member would be kidnapped and taken to Mexico. <\/span><\/p>\n

Authorities say he offered $100,000 and discussed flying the victim and her child out of an airfield in Lancaster.<\/span><\/p>\n

In February, Grillo allegedly mailed the individual a $20,000 check from \u201cAnimals Are People Too,\u201d with the memo line reading \u201cProduction,\u201d referring to the alleged kidnapping plan, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 3, the individual met Grillo again in Burbank and showed him a staged photo appearing to depict the victim and a man bound with zip ties, with duct tape over the victim\u2019s mouth. <\/span><\/p>\n

Grillo allegedly expressed concern their sons could alert police before writing another $10,000 check to continue the plan, officials stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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LOS ANGELES\u00a0 The founder of an Acton-based animal welfare organization was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he plotted to kidnap a former employee who won a $6.7 million wrongful-termination judgment…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":60497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Animal Welfare Founder Arrested in Alleged Kidnapping Plot<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LOS ANGELES\u00a0 The founder of an Acton-based animal welfare organization was arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he plotted to kidnap a former\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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