LA man trafficks teen for labor, abandons him on busy freeway in the middle of the night

An LA man faces labor trafficking charges after allegedly grooming a vulnerable 14-year-old, forcing him to photograph hundreds of clothes, drugging him with Adderall and abandoning him on a freeway.

Brandon Holguin, 26, of Thousand Oaks, was arraigned Wednesday on six felony counts tied to the alleged exploitation of the teen, who authorities say he targeted months earlier at a thrift store in northern Los Angeles County.

He allegedly took the teen from his family between May 2 and May 5, 2025, confiscating his cellphone to stop his mother tracking him, then selling it.

Prosecutors claim he also pawned the child’s family-gifted jewelry using false identification, pocketing hundreds of dollars.

The suspect then allegedly shuttled the teen to various locations across LA County — including a motel room where the boy was forced to sort, prepare and photograph used clothing for resale online.

Authorities say Holguin supplied the child with Adderall and instructed him to take the stimulant to work long hours into the night despite it making him ill.

“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 Hochman said.

“For three terrifying days, the victim’s parents and law enforcement desperately searched for this missing teen, fearing the worst had happened.”  

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After a plan to traffic the boy to Northern California reportedly fell through, Holguin is accused of leaving the boy alone on a Los Angeles freeway at night on May 5, before driving off with the money from the stolen phone and jewelry.

The teen managed to escape the freeway, reach a nearby location, and get help from staffers, who called 911. He was later found by LAPD officers and reunited with his family the same day.  

Holguin was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on May 9, 2025, and has pleaded not guilty to charges including human trafficking, child stealing, child abuse, furnishing a minor with a controlled substance, employing a minor during unauthorized hours, and false personation.  

He is being held on $650,000 bail and faces up to 14 years in state prison if convicted. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 3 at the Pasadena Courthouse.  

Investigators believe there could be additional victims and are urging anyone with information to come forward.