A case in California has drawn attention after authorities alleged a teenager was exploited and later abandoned on the side of a freeway.
Brandon Holguin, 26, is facing six felony charges after prosecutors say he picked up a 14-year-old boy he had met months earlier at a thrift store and brought him to a motel in Los Angeles County in early May 2025.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Holguin allegedly made the teen work for extended periods sorting, preparing, and photographing large amounts of secondhand clothing intended for online resale.
Investigators say the boy’s cellphone was taken, preventing his family from tracking his location, and was later sold. Authorities also allege that Holguin used a fake ID to pawn jewelry belonging to the boy’s family and kept the money.
To keep the teen working late into the night, prosecutors state that Holguin provided him with Adderall, which caused the boy to become ill.
Plans were reportedly made to move the teen to Northern California to continue the operation, but when that did not happen, Holguin allegedly abandoned him on the side of a Los Angeles freeway during the night on May 5, 2025.
The boy was able to leave the freeway area and reach a nearby business, where employees contacted emergency services.
Holguin has pleaded not guilty, and the case remains ongoing.
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