Brandon Holguin, a 26-year-old California man, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to additional charges including human trafficking and child abuse after allegedly forcing a 14-year-old to sell clothes online while under the influence of drugs.
The incidents occurred in early May 2025 in Los Angeles County. Holguin allegedly targeted the middle schooler at a thrift store months earlier, then took him to a motel where he forced the boy to sort and photograph hundreds of used clothing items for online resale well into the night. Prosecutors said Holguin instructed the victim to ingest Adderall to keep working, kept his phone to prevent contact with family, sold the device and the boy's jewelry using a fake ID, and later abandoned the minor on a Los Angeles freeway when plans to traffic him north fell through. The victim sought help at a nearby business and was reunited with his family the same day on May 5, 2025. Holguin was arrested on May 9, 2025, and remains detained on a $652,000 bond at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said human labor traffickers frequently target vulnerable children before isolating them and profiting from their forced labor.