LOS ANGELES, California — Leslie Anthony Bailey, a 32-year-old resident of Los Angeles, has been formally charged in federal court due to allegations that include kidnapping, rape, and the compelling of a woman into prostitution, as reported by the United States Department of Justice on March 9, 2024.
Bailey faced his arraignment on Friday afternoon in Santa Ana, where he was presented with a five-count federal grand jury indictment. This indictment stems from a joint effort by special agents from the Department of Homeland Security and members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, culminating in Bailey’s arrest on Thursday.
According to authorities, Bailey, who resides on a boat in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, stands accused of a litany of offenses. These charges include sex trafficking, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, and two counts of using a cellphone to facilitate his illicit prostitution enterprise.
The events detailed in the criminal complaint allege that Bailey kidnapped a woman on February 5, 2022. Subsequently, he allegedly held her against her will for several days, coercing her into participating in at least one illegal commercial sex act. The ordeal continued as Bailey purportedly transported the victim to the Angeles National Forest, where he reportedly subjected her to a violent sexual assault while issuing threats on her life.
The gravity of the charges levied against Bailey cannot be overstated. Each count of sex trafficking carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, with the potential for life imprisonment. Likewise, the charges of kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse also carry the same maximum sentence of life behind bars.
