A capuchin monkey is under the custody of the Montgomery County Division of Animal Control and Humane Treatment in Maryland, after authorities seized the animal from a woman who was raising the baby as her own.

Elyse Gazewitz says her 1-year-old, 18-inch monkey, Armani, was like a baby to her and has been battling the state for custody. A Maryland law forbids possessing a "nonhuman primate," including monkeys, as a pet.

Gazewitz has been charged with several civil violations, worth $1,800 in fines. Animal control says she also interfered when they tried to take Armani.

Gazewitz tells the Boston Globe in tears, "He just couldn't stand being away from me. He loved me."

Gazewitz's lawyer Anne Benaroya says her client will appeal the fines, adding, "There is no issue of neglect or abuse. It's simply [a case about] possession of a monkey."