Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, 80, was arrested on Tuesday, October 22, on charges related to a criminal sex trafficking investigation by the FBI. His partner Matthew Smith, 61, and middleman James Jacobson, 71, were also arrested as associates. All three defendants were named in an indictment, available in full via CNBC, filed by federal prosecutors in New York. These criminal charges come about a year after a BBC investigation revealed allegations that Jeffries and Smith exploited young men for sex at events held in hotels around the world and at their residences in New York.
Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Why was Mike Jeffries arrested?
Mike Jeffries, along with Smith and Jacobson, was arrested and charged with 16 counts of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution related to alleged misconduct from December 2008 to March 2015.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn will be holding a press conference about the arrests at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on Tuesday.
All three defendants will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York at an unspecified date, as reported by CNN. Federal prosecutors note that this indictment also follows a civil lawsuit filed a year ago by alleged victims.
Jeffries and Smith allegedly paid men to travel with them around the world to engage in sex acts with them and others, particularly for “sex parties” that included drugs and alcohol. Meanwhile, Jacobson would interview and hold “tryouts” of potential candidates, luring many aspiring models with career opportunities with the fashion brand.
One anonymous victim speaking with the BBC said he thought he was going to do a photoshoot in 2011 when he was guided to Jeffries’ presidential suite in a hotel in Spain. The man, then 20 years old, flew from Los Angeles to Madrid for the supposed modeling opportunity, but during the meeting he alleges that Jeffries and Smith appeared and began touching him. He says that the “very aggressive” Abercrombie boss performed oral sex on him, despite him trying “to say no repeatedly.”
A 2023 BBC documentary called “The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool” explores the numerous allegations of abuse and exploitation against Mike Jeffries. It is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Roku.
Jeffries stepped down as the Abercrombie & Fitch CEO in 2014. Current CEO Fran Horowitz took over the position in 2017.
