May 6, 2026: Man Arraigned on Charges of Labor Trafficking a Los Angeles County Middle Schooler

LOS ANGELES - A 26-year-old man has been held to answer and arraigned for allegedly labor trafficking a 14-year-old middle schooler by making him prepare hundreds of items of clothing for online resale after taking the victim's cell phone so he could not be contacted by his family. The defendant, Brandon Holguin, is also accused of furnishing the victim with Adderall and instructing him to use it as he worked. Holguin allegedly left the child stranded on a Los Angeles freeway in the middle of the night, nearly three days after the teen was reported missing.

"Human labor traffickers frequently target vulnerable children, gaining their trust before isolating them and profiting from the child's forced labor," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "For three terrifying days, the victim's parents and law enforcement desperately searched for this missing teen, fearing the worst had happened. Human exploitation is unfortunately still widespread in our county in 2026, and our Labor Justice Unit will ensure that anyone who participates in this criminal activity is held accountable. I urge anyone with information about the defendant to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as this is an ongoing investigation and we are concerned there may be additional victims."

Brandon Holguin (dob 8/27/99) of Thousand Oaks is charged in case 25PDCF00359 with six felonies: one count each of child stealing; human trafficking; child abuse under circumstances likely to cause great bodily injury or death; furnishing a minor a controlled substance; employing a minor during unauthorized hours; and false personation for a written instrument.

From May 2 to 5, 2025, Holguin allegedly trafficked a then-14-year-old minor from a location near the victim's home in northern Los Angeles County to multiple county locations. He allegedly targeted the victim at a thrift store four to six months prior.

Holguin allegedly took the victim's cell phone, telling him that they needed to get rid of it so the victim could not be tracked by his mother. He then allegedly sold the phone and used a false ID to pawn the victim's jewelry, which were gifts from the victim's family, obtaining hundreds of dollars in proceeds which he did not provide to the victim.

Holguin allegedly drove the victim to a motel room, where the victim was put to work sorting and photographing used clothing items for online resale. He allegedly instructed the victim to ingest a controlled substance containing amphetamine commonly known as Adderall - which made the victim sick - so the victim could work late into the night to finish the job.

After Holguin's alleged plan to traffic the victim from Los Angeles to northern California fell through, he allegedly abandoned the victim alone on the side of a Los Angeles freeway in the middle of the night on May 5, driving away with the proceeds of the sales of the victim's phone and jewelry.

The victim managed to walk off the freeway to a nearby location where staff called 911. The victim was recovered by Los Angeles Police Department officers and reunited with his family that same day.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arrested Holguin on May 9, 2025.

The case was filed for warrant on June 2, 2025. On Nov. 6, 2025, the defendant was arraigned on the first amended complaint and pleaded not guilty.

On April 22, 2026, following a preliminary hearing, the Court held the defendant to answer on all charges.

Holguin was arraigned on the Information today and pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing is set for June 3 in Department C of the Pasadena Courthouse.

He is being held on $650,000 bail.

If convicted as charged, Holguin faces up to 14 years in state prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy-in-Charge Ryann Gerber Jorban and Deputy District Attorney Alice Kurs of the Consumer Protection Division's Labor Justice Unit. The investigation remains ongoing by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Anyone who may have been a victim or has additional information about Brandon Holguin is urged to contact Detective Salvador Ponce at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at 818-236-4015. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (800 222-8477), text the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Brandon Holguin

If you are the victim of human trafficking or know someone who is, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text: 233-733 (Be Free).

The charges in this case are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.