Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and his partner, Matthew Smith, have been arrested Tuesday on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
Jeffries was the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014; the FBI launched its investigation last year after the BBC published a report in which 12 men described attending or organising events in which they performed sexual acts for Jeffries and Smith between 2009 and 2015. The FBI and federal prosecutors are investigating whether the three accused men were operating a “international sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise” that involved sexually exploiting young men at sex events host
Breon Peace, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, stated during a live-streamed press conference on October 22 about the men’s arrest, “This case should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called casting couch system.” “Get ready to exchange that couch for a federal prison bed.”
Peace explained during the press conference the “referral system and interview process” Jeffries and his colleagues employed to choose guys to take part in the sex gatherings. Peace stated that partaking in the events may lead to modelling opportunities with Abercrombie & Fitch or other career benefits, but that it did not include telling them the entire scope and type of sexual behaviour that would be expected of them. According to Peace, there are already 15 John Does involved in the case, but the investigation is still ongoing and more persons might come forward now that arrests have been made.
Peace claims that men attending the events were forced to drink, poppers, and Viagra, and they were not permitted to leave until Jeffries and Smith gave them permission to do so. The pair allegedly gave men erection-inducing injections and then sexually attacked them when they were unable or unable to provide their consent.
Today, Jacobson will appear in St. Paul, Minnesota, while Jeffries and Smith will appear in federal court in the Southern District of Florida for the first time. Later this week or early next week, the three will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York, according to Peace.
In order to satisfy their own goals, the defendants allegedly exploited, abused, and silenced their victims, preying on their hopes and dreams with subtle, covert intent. James Dennehy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said in the statement, “This case is just another example of people using their wealth, power, or reputation to manipulate and control others for their personal gratification.”
