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Founder and President of Animal Shelter Accused of Stealing $17,000 Intended for Canines

Founder and President of Animal Shelter Accused of Stealing $17,000 Intended for Canines
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Lisa-Marie Birdsall, the founder and president of Westchester, New York, animal shelter Recycled Paws Rescue, Inc., has been billed with grand larceny for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars in donations and adoption fees—money that was meant to residence, feed, and take care of the shelter’s puppies and grownup puppies, in accordance to The New York Everyday Information.

Birdsall, 55, stole additional than $17,000 from Recycled Paws in between Jan. 5, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020 “for private needs,” the Westchester Culture for the Avoidance of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) wrote in a July 15 Fb submit. The put up did not specify the nature of the items or services the allegedly misappropriated cash have been utilised to obtain.

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Launched in 2007, Recycled Paws rescues “canine from all about the entire world and all walks of daily life,” which include “orphaned puppies,” “deserted expecting moms,” “deserted senior canine, and additional,” its web site states. In her LinkedIn profile, Birdsall describes Recycled Paws, which has 501(c)(3) not-for-gain position, as a labor of adore fueled by her desire to “support the voiceless.” “For the initial couple of a long time I funded the rescue with the proceeds of the grooming and retail small business with a large investment decision of my personalized resources. Unfortunately, it is under no circumstances adequate to shell out the charges, feeding, vet care, transport, overhead, and grooming are pretty high-priced, the record is in no way ending,” she wrote in a assertion. To that conclusion, the Recycled Paws web site solicits volunteer labor and financial support.

“Recycled Paws Rescue, INC. operates purely on donations! With your support we can conserve a lot more animals from horrible situations. No sum is as well tiny and all donations are incredibly appreciated!” the internet site states.

On Tuesday, Birdsall, was arrested by officers with the Westchester SPCA’s Humane Law Enforcement Device, which conducts inquiries into studies of animal neglect and abuse in Westchester County, adhering to an investigation by the SPCA and the Economic Crimes Bureau of the Westchester District Attorney’s Business. Birdsall is set to surface in court in Yorktown Heights on Aug. 3.

“For the duration of this investigation, this was the initially time we really knew that it was a prosecutable offense. We have paperwork. As quickly as you have a line of revenue path you cannot protect, there is certainly nothing at all to do,” Ernest Lungaro, the director of the Humane Regulation Enforcement Device, instructed Information 12. The outlet also described the investigation started when officials gained an anonymous suggestion accompanied by evidence.

An e-mail to Recycled Paws’s formal e-mail deal with was not quickly returned.

Lisa-Marie Birdsall in car with dog .
Lisa-Marie Birdsall has been accused of stealing money from the nonprofit she started and runs. Birdsall is pictured with a doggy that appears to be a Chihuahua or a Chihuahua combine on July 19, 2020.
Instagram/@lisamariebirdsall