Man charged with trafficking LA County middle schooler for online resale business
A 26-year-old man from Thousand Oaks allegedly trafficked a middle schooler, forcing him to sort used clothes for an online resale business before abandoning him on the side of a Los Angeles County freeway last year.
The LA County District Attorney's Office said Brandon Holguin, 26, also fed the 14-year-old Adderall to have him work through the night.
Holguin faces a handful of charges, including child stealing, human trafficking and child abuse. He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison if convicted as charged. He pleaded not guilty. He's being held on a $650,000 bail.
Prosecutors charged Holguin with child stealing because the information did not fit the requirements for kidnapping, pointing to the forcible means of abducting someone. The LA County DA's Office said Holguin met the victim at a thrift store four to six months before the abduction.
The LA County Sheriff's Department arrested Kayleigh Kaplan, 23, at the same time as Holguin, but prosecutors declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence.
Prosecutors said Holguin allegedly abducted the teen near his family's home in the La Crescenta-Montrose area on May 2, 2025, before trafficking the victim to multiple locations. Investigators said Holguin took the teen's cell phone, telling him that they needed to ditch it so his mother could not track his location.
Holguin then sold the phone and used a fake ID to pawn the teen's jewelry, according to the LA County DA's Office. Prosecutors added that the victim's family gifted the jewelry to the middle schooler.
Investigators said Holguin drove the teen to a motel room and forced him to sort and photograph used clothes for an online resale business. Holguin allegedly told the teen to take Adderall, which made the victim sick.
Prosecutors said Holguin plotted to traffic the teen to Northern California, three days after allegedly abducting him. When his plan failed, Holguin allegedly abandoned the teen on the side of a freeway.
The teen walked off the freeway to a nearby location where staff called 911, according to the LA County DA's Office.
The Los Angeles Police Department recovered the teen and reunited him with his family on May 5, 2025.
"For three terrifying days, the victim's parents and law enforcement desperately searched for this missing teen, fearing the worst had happened," LA County DA Nathan Hochman said.
Prosecutors said the LA County Sheriff's Department is continuing its investigation into the case and urged anyone with information about Holguin to contact detectives.
"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," Hochman said.
Anyone with information about Holguin can contact Detective Salvador Ponceat (818) 236-4015. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477, text to TIPLA plus your tip to 274637 or through the LA Crime Stoppers website.
