The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) and his partner have been arrested and charged with operating a prostitution and international sex trafficking business.
Authorities arrested former fashion executive Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and the couple’s alleged middleman, James Jacobson, on Tuesday morning.
Federal prosecutors said the men used force, fraud and coercion to engage in “violent and exploitative” sex acts.
Mr Jeffries and his partners have previously denied any wrongdoing through their lawyers, and Mr Jeffries’ lawyer told the BBC on Tuesday: “We will respond in detail to the allegations once the indictment is unsealed.” Ta.
Smith’s attorney has been contacted for further comment. A&F declined to comment on the latest developments.
Warning: This story contains depictions of sexual acts
The FBI launched an investigation last year after the BBC exposed allegations that Mike Jeffries and his partners sexually exploited and abused men at their New York home and at events they hosted at hotels around the world. .
A BBC investigation found that there was a sophisticated operation involving a network of intermediaries and recruiters tasked with finding people to take part in these events.
On Tuesday, Breon Peace, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Jeffries used his wealth, power and position as CEO of A&F to traffick men for “his own sexual pleasure” and the pleasure of his partners. claimed to have done so. Smith.
Peace, who outlined the prosecution’s charges, alleged that the couple hired Jacobson as a recruiter and conducted “tryouts” with men from around the world, offering them sex acts in exchange for money.
Once Jeffries approved the men, they were flown to his New York home, where they were “pressured to consume alcohol, Viagra and muscle relaxants,” Peace claimed.
Prosecutors also alleged that Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith directed others or personally “injected men with erection-inducing substances” when they were unable or unwilling to participate. .
Prosecutors say the former CEO “spent millions of dollars on extensive infrastructure to support this operation and maintain its secrecy,” including international travel, hotel stays, paid staff, and events. This included security, etc.
Prosecutors said the indictment listed 15 victims, but claimed the operation “involved dozens of people.”
After appearing in court on Tuesday, Mr Jeffries was released on $10 million (£7.7 million) bail and Mr Jacobson was released on $500,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday.
Mr. Smith was ordered detained.
Peace, the federal prosecutor, acknowledged at a news conference Tuesday that authorities were initially tipped off by media reports.
Following the BBC report, a civil lawsuit was filed in New York accusing Jeffries and Smith of sex trafficking, rape and sexual assault.
The lawsuit also accuses Abercrombie & Fitch of funding a sex trafficking operation led by its former CEO over a two-decade period.
Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, a civil attorney who represents some of the alleged victims, said earlier Tuesday that “these arrests are a huge relief to the many victims who were exploited and abused throughout this sex trafficking scheme.” “This is a big first step towards getting justice for the people.” For many years under the legal cover provided by Abercrombie.
“The BBC’s unprecedented reporting and the legal action brought by our office, which reveals the details of this operation, will be credited with these monumental arrests. did.”
An initial investigation by the BBC found Mr Jeffreys, 80, and his British partner Mr Smith, 61, attended or hosted events involving sexual acts between 2009 and 2015. We spoke to 12 men.
The eight men who attended the event said they were scouted by an intermediary, identified by the BBC as James Jacobson.
More men then came forward last month. Some claimed that Mr. Jeffries’ assistant injected what they were told was liquid Viagra into their penises.
Mr Jacobson, 71, previously told the BBC through his lawyer that he was offended by any suggestion of “coercive, deceptive or forceful conduct on my part” and that he had “no knowledge of any such conduct by anyone else”. There wasn’t,” he said.
The BBC also interviewed dozens of other sources, including former domestic staff.
Some of the men the BBC spoke to said they had been misled about the nature of the events and were never told that sex was involved. Some said they understood it would be a sexual event, but it was not at all what they expected. Everyone was paid.
Several people told the BBC that agents and other recruiters had approached A&F with the possibility of offering modeling opportunities.
David Bradbury, then a 23-year-old aspiring model, said he had “made it clear” he would not meet A&F CEO Jeffries unless he performed oral sex on Jacobson.
“He was sort of selling his reputation, and the price was compliance,” Bradbury told the BBC.
Bradbury said she later attended a party at Jeffries’ mansion in the Hamptons on Long Island, where she met Jeffries and had sex.
He said the “secluded” location and the presence of Mr. Jeffries’ personal staff in A&F uniforms overseeing the event meant that Mr. He said that it meant that he could not say ‘I am.’
After the BBC’s initial findings were published last year, A&F announced it would launch an independent investigation into the allegations raised. When we recently asked when the report would be completed and whether the findings would be made public, the company declined to respond.
Like Jeffries and Smith, the brand is seeking to dismiss the civil suit, saying it had no knowledge of the “alleged sex trafficking operation” led by its former CEO, who is accused of funding it. .
Earlier this year, a U.S. court ruled that A&F must pay for the legal defense of Mike Jeffries as he continues to fight civil charges of sex trafficking and rape. After he sued the brand for refusing to pay his legal fees, a judge ruled that the charges were related to his corporate role.
The brand said it does not comment on legal issues. However, in its defense to the court, A&F said its current management team had “no prior knowledge” of the allegations until contacted by the BBC, and that the company “hates sexual abuse” by Jeffries and others. We condemn the alleged actions,” he added.
Mr Jeffries stepped down as CEO in 2014 following declining sales, leaving with a severance package worth around $25m (£20.5m), according to company filings at the time.
Once one of America’s highest-paid CEOs, he has faced allegations of discrimination against his staff, concerns about his extravagant spending, and the unofficial influence of his lifelong partner Matthew Smith within A&F. He was a controversial figure who faced complaints about his powers.
