South Bay Man Charged With Kidnapping, Rape and Pimping

SANTA ANA, CA — A South Bay man has been indicted on five federal counts alleging he kidnapped a woman, forced her to work for him as a prostitute in Orange County, and then raped her in the Angeles National Forest.

Leslie Anthony Bailey, 32, was arrested Thursday a day after a federal grand jury handed down the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was arrested Thursday on the boat where he lives in Wilmington, according to authorities.

According to the indictment, Bailey kidnapped a woman identified as “J.H.” on February 5, 2022. He held her for several days and used "force, threats of force and coercion that caused her to engage in at least one commercial sex act." The kidnapping lasted for three days until Bailey drove the victim into the Angeles National Forest, where he 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," according to the indictment.

The victim identified as “J.H.” was kidnapped on February 5, 2022, held for several days, and was subjected to force, threats of force and coercion that caused her to engage in at least one commercial sex act, according to the indictment. That kidnapping continued until February 8, 2022, when Bailey drove the victim into the Angeles National Forest, where he 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,” the indictment states.

“Sex traffickers prey upon vulnerable people, turning their misery into profits,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “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.”

The indictment returned Wednesday and unsealed Thursday afternoon charges Bailey with sex trafficking, kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of using a cellphone to facilitate his business involving prostitution, pimping and pandering.

The fifth count in the indictment alleges that between March 7 and April 25, 2023, Bailey used the internet and a cellphone to further the prostitution, pimping and pandering of a second victim.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the sex trafficking offense in the indictment carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years, and the kidnapping and the aggravated sexual abuse charges carry a maximum penalty of life. The counts alleging the use of a facility in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activity carry up to five years each in federal prison.