Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, 80, and Partner Arrested on Sex Trafficking Charges

Oct 22, 2024, 02:54 PM

Mike Jeffries, the 80-year-old former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday on federal charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. Jeffries, along with his partner Matthew Smith and an associate, James Jacobson, is accused of operating a sex trafficking operation that exploited young men through promises of modeling opportunities for the fashion retailer. The arrests follow a year-long investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, prompted in part by a BBC report and civil lawsuits alleging that Jeffries and his associates lured aspiring male models to parties in the United States and around the world, and coerced them into sexual acts. The indictment alleges that between December 2008 and March 2015, the defendants recruited young men with promises of modeling work and threatened their careers if they did not comply with sexual demands.