For six years beginning in 2009, young men were promised opportunities in modeling at Abercrombie & Fitch, only to be lured into sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, according to a class action lawsuit and BBC investigation. Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has now been arrested on federal charges related to those accusations in a case similar to the Diddy scandal.
According to The New York Times, Jeffries, 80, and his partner, Matthew Smith, 61, were arrested on Tuesday at their home in Florida, and a third man, James Jacobson, 71, was taken into custody on related charges in Wisconsin. Jeffries was Abercombie & Fitch‘s CEO from 1992 through 2014, when he retired after turning A&F’s fortunes around primarily based on a hyper-sexualized teen-focused rebrand. Between 2009 and 2015, Jeffries and his associates allegedly promised modeling opportunities at A&F only to sexually exploit the young men at sex parties in New York and around the world.
The class action lawsuit related to the case was filed last year. At that time, federal authorities said they were reviewing evidence and documents from the investigation to bring federal charges. Abercrombie & Fitch has also been accused of covering up Jeffries’ crimes. The Ohio-based brand has said they were “appalled and disgusted” over the matter.
According to the class action lawsuit, “Jeffries was so important to the profitability of the brand that he was given complete autonomy to perform his role as CEO however he saw fit, including through the use of blatant international sex-trafficking and abuse of prospective Abercrombie models.”
In response to the suit, A&F said, “For close to a decade, a new executive leadership team and refreshed board of directors have successfully transformed our brands and culture into the values-driven organization we are today. We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or discrimination of any kind.”
Some of the men were contacted online
According to the Jeffries’ indictment, dozens of men were recruited through middlemen to participate in sex acts with other men, including Jeffries and Smith, and sometimes with each other in New York and at exotic locations around the world. Drugs, Viagra, muscle relaxants, and erectile-inducing injections were provided. The men were paid and promised modeling opportunities or led to believe that failure to participate could hamper their careers.
The men were not minors at the time, but some were as young as 19, and many said they were aware sex would be involved but did not know the full extent of what would happen. Many went through sexual “tryouts” with Jacobson first before they were allowed to attend Jeffries’ parties. According to the indictment, Jeffries’ household staff provided security and drugs and alcohol to the men involved. Some of the Jeffries’ sex parties happened at his Hamptons home, near where Diddy hosted his “white” or “freak off” sex parties.
“It broke me”
Speaking with the BBC, Barrett Paul, who was involved in the Jeffries’ class action suit, described his experience at a Jeffries party when Paul was 22. “This experience, I think it broke me,” he said. “I think that this stole any ounce of innocence that I had left. It mentally messed me up. But with the language I now have today, I can sit here and tell you that I was taken advantage of.”
Jeffries and Smith were expected to appear in court in Florida later the same day they were arrested. Jacobson was expected in court in Minnesota. Federal authorities said they would reveal further details about the case at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. Brittany Henderson, an attorney representing plaintiffs in the Jeffries case, said, “Their fight for justice does not end here. Our clients look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and ensuring that this cannot happen again.”
