Former Abercrombie&Fitch CEO Arrested for Sexual Exploitation

Photo: Bertrand Guay Archives Agence France-Presse Mike Jeffries, seen here in Paris in 2012, “used his power, wealth and influence to exploit men for his own pleasure and that of his partner,” the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said.

Andréa Bambino – Agence France-Presse in New York

Published at 14:58 Updated at 20:17

• United States

The former CEO of the American ready-to-wear brand Abercrombie&Fitch Mike Jeffries, his partner and another suspect have been charged with sex trafficking and pimping, accused of having entrapped and exploited dozens of aspiring models, authorities in New York announced Tuesday.

At the helm of this global brand, which was popular with young people at the time, from 1992 to 2014, Mike Jeffries “used his power, wealth and influence to exploit men for his pleasure and that of his partner Matthew Smith,” accused federal prosecutor Breon Peace in New York, where the investigation is being conducted.

Now aged 80, Mr. Jeffries was arrested with Mr. Smith in West Palm Beach, Florida, where they appeared in court on Tuesday. The former CEO was released on $10 million bail, while his partner remained in custody, according to the New York prosecutor’s office. A new appearance is scheduled for Friday.

Mike Jeffries' lawyer, Brian Bieber, indicated in the American media that he would “respond in detail to the accusations […] but in a court of law.”

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A year after a BBC investigation into the matter, and while a civil action is underway in the United States, the prosecutor described a well-oiled system of exploitation of “aspiring models who knew that a place in one of Abercrombie's iconic ads could be a ticket to success in the fashion industry.”

In concrete terms, the couple's intermediary and third suspect, James Jacobson, was responsible for “recruiting” and “testing” young men around the world by paying them for sex, while dangling the prospect of a contract, described Breon Peace.

Once selected, the victims were taken to the couple's residences, in the upscale Hamptons region near New York or to hotels in England, France, Italy or Morocco to have sex with the CEO of the brand and his partner, the New York prosecutor reported.

“Dozens” of victims

According to him, the victims were unaware of what awaited them during these meetings that they thought would benefit their careers.

The couple is accused of having made them take Viagra, poppers and alcohol to satisfy their desires.

“On several occasions, when the men did not consent or were not in a state to do so, Messrs. Jeffries and Smith violated their bodily integrity by subjecting them or continuing to subject them to intrusive and violent sexual contact,” the prosecutor said.

The indictment said the victims, who numbered “dozens” according to Breon Peace, were required to sign confidentiality agreements to keep secret what was happening.

Dumped after scandal

The couple “spent millions of dollars” to support such a scheme and maintain its secrecy, on trips, hotel rooms, and payments for sex.

Mike Jeffries was dumped from Abercrombie in late 2014, with a $25 million golden parachute, after declaring that his group’s clothes were not for “fat people.”

In the months that followed, the company abandoned one of its trademarks, models with sculpted torsos and saleswomen with wasp waists dressed very scantily to lure customers into its stores. In 2015, the American Supreme Court castigated his refusal to hire a veiled woman in a resounding decision.

“Today's arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who were victimized by these individuals,” one of the lawyers representing some of the plaintiffs in the civil suit, Brittany Henderson, told AFP.

“Their fight for justice doesn't end here. We will hold Abercrombie&Fitch accountable for facilitating these terrible acts and ensure that this never happens again,” she added.