Abercrombie ex-CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex-trafficking charges

Abercrombie & Fitch’s disgraced ex-CEO Mike Jeffries ran secret parties across the globe where he forced young men into performing sex acts, taking performance-enhancing injections and getting unwanted high-pressure enemas, Brooklyn federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jeffries was hit with sex trafficking and international prostitution charges, accused of a yearslong scheme involving 15 separate victims.
His arrest comes after a cascade of public allegations against Jeffries accusing him of sexually abusing and trafficking young men during lavish events that he and his partner, Matthew Smith, hosted in the U.S. and abroad.
Jeffries, Smith and a third man, James Jacobson, were charged Tuesday in a 16-count indictment in Long Island Federal Court. They recruited dozens of men, many of whom aspired to be fashion models, to “sex events” in New York City, on Long Island and across the globe between 2008 and 2015, the feds allege.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace described the trio as “powerful individuals [who] for too long had trafficked and abused, for their own sexual pleasure, young people with few resources and a dream — a dream of securing a successful career in fashion or entertainment.”
Jacobson, who worked for Jeffries and Smith, acted as their recruiter, traveling across the U.S. and requiring men to have sex with him first as a “tryout,” according to prosecutors.
Some of the victims worked at Abercrombie stores or modeled for the fashion giant, and were led to believe that saying no would tank their careers, the feds allege.
They paid for the men, including at least one as young as 19 years old, to travel to England, France, Italy, Morocco and Saint Barthelemy, hiring an “exclusive set of household staff” to set up for the sex parties and secure the doors, according to the indictment. The men weren’t allowed to leave until Jeffries and Smith decided the party was over, according to the feds.
Attendees were given alcohol, muscle relaxants referred to as “poppers,” lube, Viagra and condoms, and told to wear costumes and use sex toys, the indictment said. Jacobson or the house staff paid the men attending the events, according to the feds.
The men were forced to sign nondisclosure agreements and give up their clothes, wallets and phones, according to the indictment.
Even so, they didn’t know the full extent of what would happen — including high-pressure anal enemas with a hose and having their genitals shaved without advance notice, the feds allege.
“On more than one occasion, the defendants Michael S. Jeffries and Matthew C. Smith either directed others to or personally injected men in their penises with a prescription-grade, erection-inducing substance for the purpose of causing the men to engage in sex acts in which they were otherwise physically incapable or unwilling,” the indictment reads.
Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson intentionally recruited heterosexual men, and insisted they engage in sex acts, the feds allege.
“What’s alleged in the indictment is not only beyond disturbing, dishonorable and disgraceful. It, simply put, is criminal,” said James Dennehy, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office. “This case is another example of individuals using their wealth, power or reputation to manipulate or control others.”
At least two victims told FBI agents that Jeffries made them have sex without their consent the first time they visited the fashion mogul’s Hamptons home, the feds allege.
Peace said the probe began last year, and investigators are looking to interview more possible victims. Evidence in the case involves travel and financial records, plus accounts from victims and witnesses, he said.

“We became aware through media reports, which is not uncommon,” the U.S. attorney said. “We follow up and do our diligence.”
Last October, one of Jeffries’ accusers, actor David Bradberry, filed a lawsuit against Jeffries, Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch, accusing the former CEO of raping him and the company of providing Jeffries with the “position of power and unfettered access to corporate funds necessary for Jeffries to sexually terrorize aspiring male models.”
Bradberry was one of eight people who spoke out in a BBC documentary and podcast series, accusing Jeffries, who ran Abercrombie as CEO from 1992 until 2014, of luring them to events and parties around the world, where many of them were coerced into performing sexual acts.
“Mr. Bradberry and many of our clients have expressed gratitude for law enforcement in making these arrests,” Bradberry’s lawyer Brad Edwards said Tuesday. “This is a big step in our fight for justice, and our civil lawsuit will unveil just how big and powerful this operation was.”
Jeffries and Smith appeared in federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla., while Jacobson, who was arrested in Wisconsin, made his first appearance in St. Paul, Minn.

Smith, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was ordered held without bail after prosecutors argued he was a flight risk. Jeffries was released on $10 million bond, Jacobson on $500,000.
Jeffries and Jacobson are slated to appear in Long Island Federal Court on Friday.
“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,” said Brian Bieber, Jeffries’ lawyer.
Smith’s attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday. Jacobson’s lawyer Jeremy Schneider declined to comment.