Thousand Oaks man charged with labor trafficking 14-year-old to resell clothes online

NBC Los Angeles reports that Brandon Holguin, 26, of Thousand Oaks has pleaded not guilty to labor trafficking a 14-year-old boy whom he allegedly forced to prepare hundreds of clothing items for online resale, confiscated his cell phone to prevent family contact, and abandoned on a Los Angeles freeway on May 5, 2025, after administering Adderall to keep him working. The article is sourced directly from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office with specific charges, timeline details (initial targeting at a thrift store 4-6 months prior, May 2025 phone confiscation, May 5 abandonment), named officials including DA Nathan Hochman, and contact information for ongoing investigation leads, reflecting solid police-blotter journalism standards. CBS Los Angeles and AOL corroborate the core facts—the suspect's age and location, the labor trafficking charges, the forced clothing-sorting work, the Adderall administration, and the freeway abandonment—while the DA's statement references a three-day search by parents and law enforcement, adding contextual weight to the severity of the case. The next pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 3, with potential 14-year prison sentence if convicted, and authorities explicitly indicate concern about possible additional victims warranting continued monitoring.