California Man Sentenced After Giving 14-Year-Old Adderall to Work All Night Selling Clothes Online

A California man has been sentenced to five years in state prison after exploiting a 14-year-old boy for his online clothing resale business, giving the teenager Adderall to keep him working late into the night before abandoning him beside a Los Angeles freeway.

Brandon Holguin, 27, pleaded no contest on November 9, 2026, to charges including human trafficking for labor, child 𝘢bu𝘴e and furnishing a minor with a controlled substance, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $4,300 in restitution.

The disturbing ordeal began months earlier, when Holguin reportedly met the boy at a thrift store. Prosecutors said he gradually built contact with the teenager through messages, phone calls and in-person meetings, making promises that he would help him.

On May 2, 2025, Holguin allegedly lured the boy into his car and drove him to multiple locations around Los Angeles County. During the journey, prosecutors said he pressured the teenager into surrendering personal belongings, including his cellphone and jewelry given to him by family members.

The cellphone was reportedly sold, while the jewelry was allegedly pawned using false identification. Prosecutors said Holguin kept the money rather than giving it to the child.

The teenager was then taken to a motel room, where he was made to sort and photograph hundreds of used clothing items intended for online resale.

But the work reportedly continued late into the night. According to prosecutors, Holguin gave the boy Adderall, an amphetamine-based medication, and instructed him to take it so he could keep working. The teenager became sick after taking the drug, authorities said.

Meanwhile, the boy’s family had reported him missing, and relatives and law enforcement were searching for him.

Prosecutors said Holguin had intended to take the teenager to Northern California as part of the alleged trafficking scheme. When that plan fell through, he abandoned the boy on the side of a Los Angeles freeway at approximately 2 a.m. on May 5, 2025.

Left alone in the middle of the night, the teenager managed to walk away from the freeway and reach a nearby business. Staff members called 911, and Los Angeles police officers eventually reunited him with his family.

The case prompted serious concerns from investigators about how a child could be targeted, isolated from his family and exploited for labor. Authorities said Holguin had first approached the teenager months before the incident, allegedly gaining his trust before taking him away.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman described the case as an example of how human traffickers can lure vulnerable children into forced labor. He said the defendant had made the boy take an amphetamine so he could work through the night while cutting off communication with his family.

Holguin’s sentence marks the conclusion of the criminal case, with the court ordering him to serve five years in state prison and pay restitution for the possessions taken from the victim.

The teenager’s identity has not been publicly disclosed. The case also highlights the danger of adults using promises of help or opportunity to gain a child’s trust before exploiting them.

Source link: Dailymail