 "How ex-Abercrombie CEO Mike Jefferies used power, money to exploit men for sex")
The ex-CEO of fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch has been arrested for sex trafficking dozens of men.
Mike Jeffries, who left the company a decade ago, his partner Matthew Smith and James Jacobson – who allegedly procured men for the couple – have all been charged with sex trafficking and prostitution.
The development came following a BBC investigation and proposed class action lawsuit accusing Jeffries of baiting young men with the prospect of modeling jobs to lure them into traveling around the world so they could be sexually abused.
But what do we know about the case?
Let’s take a closer look:
According to BBC, all three men were arrested on Tuesday.
The FBI opened an investigation into the case in 2023 after a BBC investigation revealed a sexual trafficking ring including a middleman and a network of recruiters tasked with finding victims.
Jeffries and Smith allegedly exploited and abused men at parties in their New York residences and hotels around the world.
Jeffries, 80, Smith, 61, and Jacobson, 71, have each been charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution related to 15 unnamed victims between 2008 and 2015.
If convicted, they face possible life sentences and mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges. They face up to 20 years in prison for the interstate prostitution charges.
Jeffries led Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, making it a successful teen apparel maker known for cologne-filled stores and ads featuring semi-nude models.
He resigned amid criticism from investors and analysts that he failed to keep up with the changing tastes of teen shoppers.
Jeffries in 2006 made headlines when he said in an interview with Salon.com, “We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong (in our clothes), and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”
The 16-count indictment was unveiled on Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn a decade after Jeffries left the retailer he built over 22 years into a popular clothing brand known for sexually charged marketing.
Prosecutors said Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to meet them for sex at their homes in Manhattan and in the Hamptons in Long Island, New York, as well as at hotels in places such as England, France, Italy, Morocco and St. Barts.
As per CNN, prosecutors claimed that Jeffries and Smith employed staff to act as security for these parties and ordered the men to wear costumes, use sex toys or prepare for particular sex acts.
They detained the men until Jeffries and Smith said they were free to go.
The alleged victims, who were heterosexual men, were also physically groomed before the events.
They were not allowed to keep personal items such as wallets and cell phones.
Relying on their deep pockets and Jeffries’ power at Abercrombie, Jeffries and Smith were “dedicated to fulfilling their sexual desires and ensuring that their international sex trafficking and prostitution business was kept secret, thereby maintaining Jeffries’ powerful reputation,” the indictment said.
NBC quoted the indictment as saying that the three men- “employed coercive, fraudulent and deceptive tactics in connection with the recruitment, hiring, transportation, obtaining, maintaining, solicitation and payment of the men to engage in commercial sex.”
Prosecutors said Jacobson typically conducted “tryouts,” where male recruits as young as 19 would have sex with him before being referred to Jeffries and Smith.
They also said the scheme involved muscle relaxants known as “poppers” and props such as large sex toys and high-pressured enemas.
One alleged victim told the BBC Jacobson “made it clear to me that unless I let him perform oral sex on me, that I would not be meeting with Abercrombie & Fitch or Mike Jeffries.”
“This experience, I think it broke me,” another ex-model told the BBC. “I think that this stole any ounce of innocence that I had left. It mentally messed me up. But with the language I now have today, I can sit here and tell you that I was taken advantage of.”
The outlet reported that the men who were unable or unwilling to participate were “injected with an erection inducing substance” either by Jeffries or Smith or at their behest.
The outlet initially spoke to a dozen men who admitted to attending or organising these events between 2009 and 2015.
Eight men said they were recruited by a go-between.
The outlet later identified that individual as Jacobson.
In September, more alleged victims came forward.
Some claimed Jeffries’ assistants had injected them with what they claimed was liquid Viagra.
CNN reported that these injections resulted in the men suffer painful physical reactions that lasted for several hours, according to prosecutors.
Some of the alleged victims were as young as 19.
They were handed “itineraries for the Sex Events that did not refer to commercial sex, and instead resembled those often sent to models for photo shoots,” as per the outlet.
Jeffries “spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure to support this operation and maintain its secrecy”, prosecutors claimed.
They said that though the indictment named just 15 victims, the operation “encompassed dozens and dozens of men.”
Men were required to sign non-disclosure agreements and pay damages if they told anyone including family and friends what went on.
The proposed class action led by named plaintiff David Bradberry, who took part in the BBC probe, separately accused Abercrombie of paying off people who accused Jeffries of sexual abuse or harassment.
As per BBC, that civil suit was filed in New York.
Abercrombie, Jeffries and Smith asked a federal judge on October 4 to dismiss that case.
Brittany Henderson, who is a partner at the law firm representing the plaintiffs in the class-action suit, told The New York Times, “Their fight for justice does not end here. Our clients look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and ensuring that this cannot happen again.”
US Attorney Breon Peace, whose office won a conviction and 30-year prison term for the singer R Kelly for sex trafficking, said powerful people have for too long sexually abused young people who yearned for careers in fashion and entertainment.
Peace accused Jeffries of “trafficking men for his own sexual pleasure” and for that of Smith, as per BBC.
“To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning: Prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison,” Peace said at a press conference.
In separate court hearings, Jeffries and Jacobson were ordered released on respective bonds of $10 million and $500,000.
A spokesperson for Peace said they are expected to enter formal pleas on Friday afternoon in the Central Islip, New York federal court. Prosecutors want both men subjected to home confinement.
Smith, a dual US-British citizen, was ordered detained at his court hearing. Prosecutors want him jailed pending trial, citing the risk of flight.
Jeffries’ lawyer Brian Bieber told BBC his client would “respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed”.
“Michael is 79 years old and retired. In years past, he has chosen not to comment on media reports, documentaries, and stories of any kind as they relate to his personal life — and does not plan on doing so now,” Bieber told NPR over email.
Smith’s lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the hearings. Jeremy Schneider, a lawyer for Jacobson, declined to comment.
Abercrombie also declined to comment. It was not accused of wrongdoing, and Peace said there was no evidence the alleged crimes took place on company property.
The New Albany, Ohio-based company said it had been “shocked and appalled” by the allegations against Jeffries, and that it was implausible to believe it had anything to do with them.
With inputssz from agencies
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