The story of a celebrated animal rescue founder allegedly plotting to kidnap a former employee rather than pay a court judgment is as disturbing as it is complex. At the center is Leo Grillo, a 77-year-old founder of a major no-kill animal sanctuary, who federal authorities say tried to orchestrate a kidnapping-for-hire after losing a multimillion-dollar wrongful termination and pregnancy discrimination lawsuit. The alleged kidnapping plot, intercepted by an FBI sting operation, raises difficult questions about power, retaliation, and the lengths someone might go to avoid financial responsibility.

According to a federal criminal complaint, investigators say Grillo agreed to pay $100,000 to have a former employee abducted, taken to Mexico, and held there so she could not testify if his appeal led to a new trial. Prosecutors allege he made an initial payment of $20,000 and was arrested after handing over another $10,000 while believing the kidnapping was already in progress. The case involves a long-running dispute between Grillo and the woman, identified in court documents as “Victim 1” and publicly as former sanctuary employee Adriana Duarte Valentines, who had sued his animal rescue organization over her termination.

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Leo Grillo ifounded the Delta Rescue Sanctuary, a no-kill animal sanctuary.

Duarte began working at Grillo’s sanctuary in 2017 as an animal caretaker, handling daily tasks such as feeding the animals and cleaning their cages. In her lawsuit, she described working Sunday through Friday and said she was devoted to the animals and the job. After she gave birth in February 2020, she said, Grillo told her she had been replaced, which she and her legal team framed as a wrongful termination linked to pregnancy and disability discrimination. Her lawsuit described the aftermath as emotionally and financially devastating, stating that she felt embarrassed, ashamed, and “emotionally broken.”

Grillo, for his part, denied discriminating against Duarte. In a deposition, he said he had fired her because he believed she was stealing pet food, janitorial supplies, and personal items from the sanctuary. Duarte denied those accusations. The case ultimately went to trial, and after several weeks a Los Angeles County jury sided with Duarte in November 2024. Jurors awarded her $5.7 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. A judge later reduced the total award to $2.9 million. In May 2025, Grillo’s sanctuary filed for bankruptcy, a move that placed additional legal and financial complications around Duarte’s ability to collect the judgment.

What followed, authorities say, shifted the conflict from a civil workplace dispute into alleged criminal territory. A man identified only as Cooperating Witness 1 told the FBI that Grillo, a former client of his, had left him a voicemail after the civil verdict. In that message, Grillo allegedly mentioned “projects” he wanted help with and spoke with unusual concern about being surveilled. The witness later told agents that Grillo often preferred coded language when discussing sensitive matters.

The witness agreed to meet Grillo at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in December. According to the FBI affidavit, Grillo had him write down a five-digit number that he later said was the street number of Duarte’s address. Investigators say Grillo asked the witness to use his contacts in Mexico to gather information about Duarte, who is a Mexican immigrant, and said he was willing to pay for that intelligence. By early January, the discussions allegedly grew more explicit. At a meeting on January 7, the witness reported that Grillo again spoke in code, referring to a “movie” or “documentary” he wanted to create.

According to the FBI, that supposed “documentary” involved having Duarte and her young child kidnapped and transported to Mexico, where they would be held against their will. While in captivity, the woman would be forced to cooperate with Grillo regarding her lawsuit. Federal authorities say Grillo was willing to pay $100,000 for this “production,” with an initial payment of $30,000 or $50,000. The timing allegedly mattered to him, because he wanted the abduction carried out before a settlement conference scheduled for late February or early March.

On January 31, the cooperating witness reported the kidnapping plot to the FBI. At the time, he was already the subject of a separate fraud investigation and agreed to work with agents, hoping for favorable consideration in his own case. From that point, the FBI closely supervised and recorded the unfolding interactions. Special Agent Robert McElroy detailed in an affidavit that agents monitored several follow-up meetings, during which Grillo and the witness continued to speak in code about the “production” and logistics for getting Duarte to Mexico.

Authorities say Grillo agreed to send $20,000 for a pilot and a plane to fly Duarte from an airport in Lancaster to Mexico. On February 19, the witness received a package containing a USB drive and a $20,000 check from one of Grillo’s nonprofits. The memo line read “Production.” During a Telegram call held at an FBI field office, the witness told Grillo that they would get Duarte and her husband to the airport willingly, but that “at that point they are going whether they want to or not.” According to the affidavit, Grillo questioned the security of the communication and then replied, “Alrighty, we are good.”

The alleged plot culminated in a staged scene at the equestrian center. When the two men met again, FBI agents had equipped the cooperating witness with audio and video recording devices. The witness told Grillo that “they got ‘em” and showed him what the agent described as a fake photograph of a zip-tied couple, with duct tape over the woman’s mouth. The witness said everything had gone according to plan: Duarte and her husband had gone willingly to the airport, and then “they did not go willingly.” He added that the family was being held, but the kidnappers had not yet transported them to the intended location in Mexico, leaving them still in Lancaster.

Grillo’s response, recorded in the affidavit, reflected concern that the couple could contact law enforcement from Lancaster, mentioning their adult sons and the possibility of them calling the sheriff. The witness then said the kidnappers needed another $10,000. According to authorities, Grillo wrote a check for that amount with “Doc Invest” in the memo line. He also reportedly mused about what he might say “if I ever get busted on this by the Feds,” claiming he had “a lot of smokescreens,” including the idea of a documentary to conceal any wrongdoing.

At that point, agents moved in and arrested Grillo. A search recovered two firearms. He was charged with attempted kidnapping and later denied release on bond. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. After his arrest, Grillo agreed to speak with investigators. According to the affidavit, he acknowledged that if the lawsuit were retried and Duarte could not testify, that would be a favorable development for his animal sanctuary. He repeatedly insisted, however, that he had paid the witness only for work on a documentary that had no connection to a kidnapping.

The allegations have shocked those connected to the bankruptcy and civil case. Duarte’s attorney in the bankruptcy proceedings, Armen Manasserian, said that when he learned of the alleged plot, his “jaw [was] on the floor,” adding that it now appears the situation involved more than reputational attacks or litigation maneuvers. His comments underscored how the case has shifted from a dispute over workplace rights and pregnancy discrimination to a story involving an FBI sting, coded conversations, staged evidence, and grave federal charges.

Read more at the LA Times