Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has been indicted on sixteen counts including international prostitution and sex trafficking in New York. Jeffries, 80, is accused of leveraging “a network of employees, contractors and security professionals” while he was the CEO of the fashion brand.
US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, said:
“While Jeffries was the CEO of one of the most recognizable clothing retailers in the world, he was using his power, his wealth, and his influence to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure and that of his romantic partner, Matthew Smith.”
Two other men were indicted alongside the former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO
Matthew Smith, Jeffries’ long-time partner and associate, and a man named James Jacobson were also indicted alongside Mike Jeffries.
According to the indictment, Jacobson played a crucial role in the operation, as he was hired by Jeffries and Smith to interview and recruit men to perform sexual acts for the pair.
The indictment alleges that from 2008 to 2015, all three men established a sex trafficking scheme. Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson would recruit men to engage in drug-fueled sex events.
The indictment also alleges that the former CEO and the two other men recruited individuals to perform these acts by offering modeling and other career opportunities at Abercrombie.
Peace, the US attorney, commented on the last allegation during a press conference saying, “The message from today’s prosecution is clear, [and] sexually exploiting vulnerable human beings is a crime [and] doing so by dangling dreams of a future in fashion or modeling or any other business is no different.”
Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries and Smith used their fortune to keep the sex trafficking operation a secret
The indictment suggests that the former Abercrombie CEO and his partner used their wealth to keep the sex trafficking operation a secret.
It is alleged that Jeffries and Smith used Jacobson and other employees from the company, as well as security experts, to essentially run a business to satisfy themselves.
The pair used their funds to pay for men to travel within the United States and internationally to luxurious locations such as the Hamptons, Saint Barthélémy, and Morocco.
Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson were arrested on the morning of October 22nd, with Jeffries and Smith expected to appear before a federal court in Florida. Jacobson was arrested in Wisconsin and will appear before a federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The defendant’s lawyers put out a statement saying, “We will 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.”
These arrests have been in the making for more than a year since a 2023 BBC investigation revealed that several men filed a lawsuit against Jeffries alleging he used his position as CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch to exploit and abuse men.
At the time, Abercrombie & Fitch said it was “appalled” over these allegations. The company has not said anything regarding Jeffries’s arrest.