Man Accused of Importing Girl, 3, for ‘Immoral’ Acts

A Hancock Park resident, the adopted son of a wealthy tobacco executive, will be arraigned Monday on a federal grand jury indictment charging him with transporting a 3-year-old girl from Ecuador to Los Angeles “for immoral purposes.”

The defendant in the two-count indictment, announced on Wednesday, is Luis Albert Gillespie, 34, who owns a beauty shop in Santa Monica.

Attorney Joel Levine of Los Angeles, who said he expects to be Gillespie’s lawyer, asserted that his client is the girl’s godfather and is a U.S. citizen who emigrated from Ecuador 11 years ago.

Adopted by Executive

Gillespie was adopted a number of years ago by tobacco executive David Gillespie, 51, according to investigating officials. David Gillespie, who is not charged in the case, is listed in “Who’s Who in America” as the Chicago-born chief executive of Los Angeles-based Glaser Brothers and Core Mark Import/Export Co., large tobacco distributing and importing firms.

“According to records, David (Gillespie) is the father” of the girl, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Joyce A. Karlin, prosecutor in the case.

Attorney Levine said in a telephone interview that he will present documents in court showing that David Gillespie “got legal control” of the girl several months ago in a court action in Ecuador. At that point, he said, David Gillespie brought the girl to Los Angeles.

Efforts to reach David and Luis Gillespie were unsuccessful.

Karlin said that on Monday she will ask a U.S. magistrate to set a bail of $100,000 for Luis Gillespie, to be secured by the San Fernando Valley residence of David Gillespie’s brother.

Accusation in Indictment

According to the grand jury indictment, Luis Gillespie transported the girl from Ecuador to Los Angeles “with the intent and purpose to induce, entice and compel” the girl “to give herself up to debauchery and to engage in immoral practices.” The indictment said the alleged actions occurred between last April and May 19.

Karlin said the girl is “adorable” but is “going through a lot.”

The child had been housed for several days at MacLaren Children’s Center. An official for the city’s Department of Children’s Services, which runs the center, said she was “in poor shape physically and emotionally” when she was brought in early this month after household employees called investigators.

She has since been placed by federal authorities with “an unrelated caretaker,” officials said.

Two Proceedings Expected

It appears that two legal proceedings will have to be held. One will be a trial in federal court stemming from the grand jury indictment; a second proceeding will take place in Juvenile Court to place the girl for adoption, Karlin said.

“An effort has been made to locate the mother” in Ecuador, Karlin said, but has been unsuccessful.

Karlin said the case grew out of an investigation by the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department’s sexually exploited child unit.

The maximum penalty that could be imposed under both grand jury counts is a $10,000 fine and 15 years imprisonment.

Contributing to this story was Times staff writer Lois Timnick.