Mike Jeffries 2024: Arrested on charges of sex trafficking,CEO

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usa5911.com October 24, 2024
Updated 2024/10/24 at 10:02 AM

Michael Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was arrested and charged with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. Today we will discuss about Mike Jeffries 2024: Arrested on charges of sex trafficking,CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Mike Jeffries 2024: Arrested on charges of sex trafficking,CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch

The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) and his partner have been arrested and charged with running a prostitution and international sex trafficking business.
Authorities arrested former fashion executive Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the couple’s alleged middleman – James Jacobson – on Tuesday morning.

Federal prosecutors said the men used force, fraud and coercion to engage in “violent and exploitive” sexual acts.

Mr Jeffries and his partner have previously denied any wrongdoing via their lawyers, and Mr Jeffries’ lawyer told the BBC on Tuesday that they would “respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed”.

A lawyer for Mr Smith has been approached for new comment. A&F declined to comment on the latest developments.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual acts
The FBI opened an investigation last year after the BBC revealed claims that Mike Jeffries and his partner sexually exploited and abused men at events they hosted in their New York residences and hotels around the world.

The BBC investigation found that there was a sophisticated operation involving a middleman and a network of recruiters tasked with finding men for these events.

On Tuesday, US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, alleged that Mr Jeffries used his wealth, power and status as CEO of A&F “to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure” and for the pleasure of his partner, Mr Smith.

Outlining prosecutors’ accusations, Mr Peace alleged the couple employed Mr Jacobson as their recruiter who would conduct “tryouts” with men from across the globe by engaging them in sex acts in exchange for money.

Once Mr Jeffries approved of the men, they would be flown to his New York home where they were “pressured to consume alcohol, Viagra, and muscle relaxants”, Mr Peace claimed.

Prosecutors further alleged that Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith directed others or personally “injected men with an erection inducing substance” when they were incap.

Mike Jeffries 2024: Arrested on charges of sex trafficking,CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch

Arrested on charges of sex trafficking

After a court appearance on Tuesday, Mr Jeffries was released on a $10m (£7.7m) bond, while Mr Jacobson was released on a $500,000 bond. They are next due in court on Friday.

Mr Smith was ordered detained.

Mr Peace, the federal prosecutor, confirmed at a press conference on Tuesday that authorities were initially tipped off by media reports.

Following the BBC’s reporting, a civil lawsuit was also filed in New York accusing Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith of sex-trafficking, rape and sexual assault.

The lawsuit also accused Abercrombie & Fitch of having funded a sex-trafficking operation led by its former CEO over the two decades he was in charge.

Earlier on Tuesday, Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, a civil lawyer representing some of the alleged victims, said: “These arrests are a huge first step towards obtaining justice for the many victims who were exploited and abused through this sex-trafficking scheme that operated for many years under the legitimate cover Abercrombie provided.

Mike Jeffries 2024: Arrested on charges of sex trafficking,CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch

“The unprecedented reporting of the BBC, coupled with the lawsuit our firm filed detailing the operation, are to credit for these monumental arrests. This was the result of impressive investigative journalism.”

In its initial investigation, the BBC spoke to 12 men who described attending or organising events involving sex acts run for Mr Jeffries, 80, and his British partner Mr Smith, 61, between 2009 and 2015.
The eight men who attended the events said they were recruited by a middleman who the BBC identified as James Jacobson.

Then, more men came forward last month. Some alleged Mr Jeffries’ assistants had injected them in the penis with what they were told was liquid Viagra.

Mr Jacobson, 71, previously told the BBC in a statement through his lawyer that he took offence at the suggestion of “any coercive, deceptive or forceful behaviour on my part” and had “no knowledge of any such conduct by others”.

The BBC also interviewed dozens of other sources, including former household staff.

CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch has spent years trying to scrub the memory of longtime former CEO Mike Jeffries and the associated sexualized marketing campaigns with shirtless male models that he crafted.

Since Jeffries exited as CEO in 2014 after more than two decades, Abercrombie ditched the perfume-drenched stores, models and logoed sweatshirts that defined the brand during his tenure. The brand made these moves to appeal to customers that had turned away from Abercrombie.

“We are a positive, inclusive brand, with a nice sensibility, very different from what they encountered in the past,” Fran Horowitz, now Abercrombie’s CEO, said in 2016.

Today, Abercrombie’s stores are lighter than they once were and its clothes are looser. The brand has become known for its (logo-less) basics, loungewear and jackets. Instead of trying to dress high schoolers for class, Abercrombie tries to outfit adults for everything from the gym to happy hour.

The strategy to move away from Jeffries has worked. Abercrombie’s sales have grown and its stock has increased more than 400% since Jeffries stepped down as CEO.

Abercrombie central to indictment
Jeffries’ indictment Tuesday, along with his romantic partner and an associate for allegedly operating a sex trafficking ring while he led Abercrombie, shows how Jeffries’ shadow still hangs over the brand he built into a cult favorite of teens.

But retail analysts say that Abercrombie’s brand won’t be hurt by the indictment because of how much separation Abercrombie has been able to create from its former CEO. Older Abercrombie customers who remember the brand’s sexualized marketing have accepted Abercrombie’s rebrand, while a new generation of customers are too young to remember the old era.

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