Former Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive officer Mike Jeffries was arrested Tuesday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
Jeffries was arrested in West Palm Beach, Fla., along with two other associates, who were reportedly Matthew Smith and James Jacobson. Jeffries and his partner Smith, as well as Jacobson, who was said to have been a middleman in recruiting men who claimed to have been paid for sex, first came under the spotlight in a BBC investigation.
Last fall BBC’s Panorama team released “The Abercrombie Guys” documentary and podcast. Some accusers claimed they had been exploited or abused at gatherings, which were said to have been held at Jeffries’ former home in the Hamptons as well as at Claridge’s in London, La Mamounia in Morocco and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in the South of France. The events were said to have taken place between 2009 and 2015, and the men were allegedly recruited by Jacobson, who was said to have been arrested in Wisconsin on Tuesday. The men allegedly received cash for sexual acts.
Jeffries exited the top job at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014 after a 22-year run.
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A spokesperson for Abercrombie & Fitch said Tuesday that the company does not have a comment, nor did the company comment about offering services for people allegedly abused or setting up any infrastructure as Harrods did, following the alleged sexual misconduct of its former owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
Brian Bieber, an attorney for Smith at Gray Robinson LLC, said Tuesday, “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.”
Attorney Brad Edwards, who is representing some of Smith’s accusers, did not respond immediately to a media request, nor did representatives from his law firm Edwards Henderson.
The U.S. attorney’s office of the Eastern District of New York, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department plan to hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon detailing the arrests and charges in Brooklyn.
Last month, BBC reported that eight more men had come forward alleging sexual exploitation and sexual abuse that was related to incidents which were said to have occurred between 2009 and 2015. The new allegations claim for the first time that Jeffries’ staff was involved in some instances.
