A South Bay man is facing a barrage of charges involving the heinous acts of sex trafficking and rape, as laid out in a federal grand jury indictment. Leslie Anthony Bailey, 32, who resides on a vessel moored in Wilmington, was taken into custody by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and operatives from the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force. He is due to be arraigned in the United States District Court in Santa Ana later today.
The indictment, which was revealed on Thursday following its issuance the day before, accuses Bailey of a series of grave offenses, including sex trafficking, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual abuse. Also detailed are two counts implicating Bailey’s supposed use of a cell phone to facilitate his illicit activities, specifically prostitution, pimping, and pandering. "J.H.," the victim in this disturbing account, was allegedly kidnapped on February 5, 2022, and compelled to to perform at least one commercial sex act under force and intimidation, according to documents unsealed by the court.
In a statement obtained by the Department of Justice's official website, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada condemned the ruthless exploitation of the vulnerable, vowing continued efforts to uproot human trafficking and prosecute those responsible. “This defendant is charged with using threats, coercion and physical violence to control his victim. We are committed to fighting human trafficking and bringing perpetrators to justice,” Estrada said. Additionally, Eddy Wang, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Los Angeles, expressed the joint resolve of his office and partners to confront such abhorrent behavior, promising justice and support for the victims.
The indictment reveals a chilling episode where Bailey is said to have taken victim "J.H." into the Angeles National Forest and there raped her "by using force against victim J.H. and by threatening victim J.H. and placing victim J.H. in fear that victim J.H. would be subject to death, serious bodily injury, and kidnapping." These details, laid bare in the indictment, hint at the grim reality faced by too many ensnared in modern slavery. Furthermore, Bailey supposedly used the internet and a cellphone between March 7 and April 25, 2023, to further extend his criminal enterprise to a second victim.
Each crime the indictment outlines carries formidable penalties, with the sex trafficking charge alone capable of commanding a mandatory minimum stint of 15 years all the way up to life in a federal penitentiary. Together, the kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse charges could potentially lock away Bailey for life, while the counts relating to utilizing a facility of interstate commerce aid an unlawful activity each could tack on up to an additional five years to his sentence. According to the Department of Justice's website, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, a coalition including HSI, Anaheim Police, Irvine Police, Santa Ana Police, and the California Highway Patrol, alongside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, is spearheading the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin N. Spencer of the Santa Ana Branch Office is the one tasked with prosecuting this case. Despite the weight of the allegations, it should be noted that an indictment is not a conviction, and Bailey remains presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty in a court of law.
