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US prosecutors have accused former Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive Mike Jeffries of running a global sex trafficking operation, alleging that he lured dozens of young male models to New York and elsewhere to engage in sex acts, often without their consent.
Jeffries, who headed the fashion brand from 1992 to 2014, was charged with running a “business that was dedicated to fulfilling [his] sexual desires”, according to the indictment, alongside his partner, Matthew Smith, and James Jacobson, who is alleged to have acted as a recruiter.
The 80-year-old used “his power, his wealth and his influence to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure”, Breon Peace, the US attorney for the eastern district of New York, said on Tuesday. Many of those recruited were told they would feature in Abercrombie advertisements, he added.
While the indictment only mentions 15 alleged victims, the scheme “encompassed dozens and dozens of men”, Peace said, urging others to come forward.
Prosecutors said they would seek to incarcerate Smith, a UK citizen, while he awaits trial, as he posed a flight risk. The other defendants would be allowed to post bail if a judge agrees.
Brian Bieber, a lawyer for Jeffries said: “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.”
A lawyer for Smith did not respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Jacobson declined to comment. There is no allegation that Abercrombie resources were used in the scheme.
Abercrombie’s then-owner, Les Wexner, hired Jeffries as CEO to revive the former outdoors supplier, which dates to the late 19th century. Wexner is the founder of L Brands, which was the parent company of retailers including Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. He stepped down in 2020 amid growing pressure over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the late sex offender and financier charged with sex trafficking underage girls.
Jeffries refashioned Abercrombie into the owner of hip brands coveted by teenagers with an imperative to “sizzle with sex”. “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids,” Jeffries said in 2006. “We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends.”
His ad campaigns were racy, featuring scantily clad models in suggestive poses that drew the ire of groups such as the Concerned Christians of America. But Abercrombie’s stock price soared in the years following its 1996 public offering.
Jeffries stepped down in 2014 as Abercrombie’s sales faltered and the company faced discrimination claims from employees. A 40-page “Aircraft Manual” that emerged in a lawsuit against the company alleged that employees serving Jeffries on private planes had to wear Abercrombie polo shirts and boxer briefs, among other rules.
