Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO arrested on federal sex trafficking allegations

By Steven

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Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO arrested on federal sex trafficking allegations

NEW YORK — Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, his partner, and a third man were arrested on Tuesday on charges that they lured men to sex parties around the world by telling them they could model for the clothes store.

According to a federal indictment made public in Brooklyn federal court, Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and their worker James Jacobson ran an international sex trafficking and prostitution business from 2008 to 2015. They kept everything a secret by using Jeffries’ fame, wealth, and a network of housekeepers to satisfy the couple’s sexual needs.

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At a news conference, U.S. attorney Breon Peace from Brooklyn warned anyone who thinks they can take advantage of and use the so-called “casting couch system” to force others to do what they want: “Get ready to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison.”

“Taking advantage of weak people sexually is illegal.” He also said, “And luring them in with dreams of a career in fashion and modeling is the same thing.”

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Young people who said Jeffries offered them modeling jobs and then forced them to do sex acts have said he sexually abused them in lawsuits and in the news.

Brian Bieber, Jeffries’ lawyer, said in an email that he would “respond in detail to the allegations after the indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse — not the media.”

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Lawyers for Smith and Jacobson were sent messages asking them to respond.

Jeffries and Smith were arrested in Florida, and their first court date was set for Tuesday afternoon in West Palm Beach. Jacobson was caught in Wisconsin, but he had to go to court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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There was going to be a news conference Tuesday afternoon with U.S. Attorney Breon Peace from Brooklyn and top FBI and police officers.

Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson are charged with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution by 15 people who have not been named.

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The charges say that they paid dozens of men to journey within the U.S. and to other countries to have paid sex with them and other men in New York and at hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco, and St. Barts. In the indictment, it says that the men who were hired were given drugs, lubricant, condoms, costumes, sex toys, and sometimes painful penile injections that made them erection-inducing for hours.

The men weren’t told everything that would happen at the events, including some of the sexual things they were supposed to do. They also had to leave their clothes and cell phones at the events and sign non-disclosure agreements when they were done, the indictment said.

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The men were told by the defendants that going to the events would help their careers, especially their chances of getting modeling jobs with Abercrombie, and that not going could hurt their chances. It said that sometimes the men got schedules that looked like the ones that are sent to models for photo shoots, so they didn’t know what they were up for.

According to the accusation, Jeffries and Smith hired Jacobson to find and hire the men. Usually, the men had to have sex with Jacobson first as a “tryout.” It says that other household staff members who were not named also helped with the events by giving alcohol, muscle relaxants, Viagra, and other things, as well as acting as security.

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He was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 until he left in 2014. The company in New Albany, Ohio, wouldn’t say anything about his arrest.

Last year, Abercrombie said it had hired an outside law company to do a separate investigation after the BBC aired a report with similar claims.

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Twelve men who were interviewed by the BBC said they had been to events with sex acts that they said were put on by Jeffries and Smith. These events often took place at Jeffries’ home in New York and in hotels in London, Paris, and other places.

The BBC story also said that Jacobson was a go-between who helped get men to the events. At the time, he told the news organization that he hadn’t done or known of “any coercive, deceptive, or forceful behavior.”

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A lawsuit that was brought in New York last year said that Abercrombie let Jeffries run a sex-trafficking business while he was in office for 22 years. The report said that Jeffries had modeling scouts looking for victims on the internet and that some would-be models ended up being sex slaves. At the time, Bieber wouldn’t say anything about the claims.

The company Abercrombie & Fitch got its start in 1892 as a store that sold outdoors and shooting gear. By the time Jeffries came along a hundred years later, the name wasn’t doing very well in stores.

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He was credited with making it a hit in teen mall culture around the turn of the millennium, known for its new preppy style and some debate that surrounded it. Some customers didn’t like what Jeffries said about how the company was after cute kids who could fit into its clothes.

A&F’s popularity began to drop again after the 2008 financial crisis and the slump that followed. By the time Jeffries left, a hedge fund had asked the board of directors to fire him because the company wasn’t doing well.

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But the business has done better in recent years.

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