Los Angeles County-based animal rescue founder accused of trying to kidnap woman who sued his organization
An Acton animal rescue founder and former actor was charged by federal prosecutors with attempted kidnapping on Wednesday, according to the Department of Justice.
Leo Grillo, 77, was arrested on Tuesday after an investigation lasting several months, federal prosecutors said.
The founder of animal welfare organization Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals Rescue, Grillo's organization was found liable for wrongful termination after a former employee sued in November 2024. That judgment is currently being appealed by DELTA Rescue, which has since filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
That employee, identified only as a woman, won more than $6.6 million through the lawsuit, pending the result of the appeal.
In December 2025, Grillo allegedly met with an individual in Burbank about the litigation. Grillo is accused of asking that individual to contact people in Mexico who could find out more about the woman.
The next month, this January, Grillo spoke to that same individual "in code," prosecutors say, about potentially kidnapping the woman and a family member and holding them hostage in Mexico, where she'd be forced to settle the litigation.
Grillo allegedly told the individual, who was secretly cooperating with law enforcement, he'd pay $100,000 for her kidnapping and for her and her child to be flown out from Lancaster.
A month later, Grillo sent $20,000 to the individual through the mail in the form of a check from "Animals Are People Too" and confirmed that he wanted the woman on a plane to Mexico to be held hostage with her husband.
The individual and Grillo met again in Burbank in March, where Grillo was told "They've got 'em," and was shown a fake picture of the woman and a man zip tied, with duct tape on her mouth, prosecutors allege.
Grillo was told the plan "hit a snag," prosecutors said, and the victims were still in Lancaster. Grillo told the individual that the couple's sons could contact law enforcement. He then wrote another check, this time for $10,000, to advance the plot.
The situation remains under investigation. If convicted, Grillo could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
