Mike Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, and two other men were arrested and charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.
According to documents made public by federal prosecutors in New York on Tuesday, Jeffries and his associates are accused of running an illegal operation over the span of several years.
Mike Jeffries Charged With 16 Counts of Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution
Jeffries, 80, was taken into custody in West Palm Beach, Florida, as confirmed by a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. Along with Jeffries, Matthew Smith, identified as his romantic partner in court documents, and James Jacobson, who allegedly helped recruit men for “commercial sex acts,” were also arrested.
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All three men face serious charges, including one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. The alleged activities spanned from December 2008 to March 2015, during which the indictment claims they operated an international sex trafficking and prostitution ring.
This case follows a civil lawsuit filed a year ago in Manhattan federal court. In that case, Jeffries and Smith, along with Abercrombie & Fitch, were accused of ignoring sexual misconduct by the former CEO. According to the lawsuit, Jeffries was allegedly running a sex trafficking ring that exploited young men aspiring to become models for the brand.
These arrests come at a time when Abercrombie & Fitch has been undergoing a brand overhaul under current CEO Fran Horowitz, who took over in 2017. The company has moved away from the sexualized marketing and skimpy clothing that once made it a hit among teens in the ’90s and 2000s but later became controversial and out of step with changing consumer preferences.
According to CNBC, Jeffries and Smith are expected to make their initial court appearance in federal court in West Palm Beach, while Jacobson will be presented in Madison, Wisconsin. Their formal arraignment will take place later in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Brian Bieber, Jeffries’ attorney, issued a statement to NBC News, saying, “We will respond to the allegations after the indictment is fully reviewed, but we plan to do so in court, not through the media.”
News of the arrests broke just hours before federal prosecutors in Brooklyn were scheduled to hold a press conference to announce the charges against a “former CEO of a major company” and two others involved in a “sex trafficking and interstate prostitution case.” The press conference is set for 12 p.m. ET.
The civil lawsuit against Abercrombie also revealed that the company had settled several complaints over the years related to misconduct by Jeffries or Smith, including allegations of sexual harassment and abuse. A 2023 BBC investigation uncovered that Jeffries and Smith allegedly exploited over 100 men at various events hosted by Abercrombie worldwide.
Here’s the press conference. Trigger Warning: Graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
Brittany Henderson, the attorney representing the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Abercrombie, called the arrests “monumental” for the victims. “The fight for justice doesn’t end here,” Henderson said. “We are committed to holding Abercrombie & Fitch accountable for enabling this behavior and ensuring it doesn’t happen again.”
Jeffries served as CEO of Abercrombie from 1992 until 2014, during which time he was pivotal in the brand’s success but also became synonymous with controversy. Smith, although not holding an official title within the company, was said to have significant influence, according to the civil lawsuit.
This isn’t Jeffries’ first time in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. The 2022 documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch explored the company’s meteoric rise and the controversies it faced under Jeffries’ leadership.
The documentary highlighted claims of racist and exclusionary practices, including a 2003 class-action lawsuit that alleged racial discrimination in the hiring policies at Abercrombie stores.
The film also featured Samantha Elauf, a Muslim woman who was denied a job at Abercrombie because she wore a headscarf during her interview. Abercrombie took the case all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of Elauf in 2015.
Now, these recent charges against its former CEO are likely to reignite public scrutiny of the company’s past. We hope justice is made for all the victims.
