Housekeeper Accused of Pilfering $200,000 from Ridgefield Animal Sanctuary
Police say the lady pictured above was hired to take on housekeeping chores for an animal sanctuary in Ridgefield. But she's allegedly done a lot more.
Moreton Binn, the owner of Binn Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Ridgefield, reportedly thought that his assistant had hired 54-year-old Amparo Sandoval to keep the sanctuary clean and tidy, according to a story in the Ridgefield Press.
Sandoval had been a trusted employee of Binns for over 10 years until she quit her job in the middle of November of 2018, saying she was very upset by some of the things she was asked to do. That's when Binn reportedly hired a forensic accountant to look into the payroll numbers.
At that point, police say it was discovered that Sandoval allegedly collected a paycheck for the entire month of November, even though she quit midway through the month.
Binn became suspicious and repotedly brought in the forensic accounting firm to look over all the accounts that Sandoval had access to. After their investigation, the firm told Binn that over the course of three years, Sandoval, who had access to some of Binn's accounts had allegedly stolen $200,000 from his company for gas, groceries, clothing, and building supplies.
After the accountants reported their findings, Binn had Sandoval arrested where she was charged with one count of larceny in the first degree. She has "vehemently denied" the accusation. Here is what Binn told the Ridgefield Press,
She's got a lot of - excuse the expression - balls! I think we were supporting her whole family.