Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO charged with sex trafficking

The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch was indicted Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn for allegedly leading a sex trafficking ring in the Hamptons to satisfy his sexual decadence at the expense of unsuspecting men.

Michael S. Jeffries, who ran Abercrombie & Fitch between 1992 and 2014 with his life partner Matthew C. Smith and his partner James T. Jacobson, is accused of forcing numerous men over a seven-year period to be part of an “an “To become an international sex trafficking and prostitution business,” the indictment states.

The sole purpose of the deal, according to federal prosecutors, was to allegedly satisfy the three defendants' sexual appetites without damaging Jeffries' “strong reputation.” The recruited victims were allegedly lured into joining the ring with empty promises of modeling jobs under the lucrative Abercrombie label – but once trapped they were forced to engage in sexual acts against their will and sign non-disclosure agreements.

Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson face a 16-count indictment for sex trafficking and engaging in interstate prostitution. According to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York, Jeffries and Smith were arrested this morning in Florida and are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court there later on Tuesday, while Jacobson was arrested in Minnesota and was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday in a St. Paul Court arraignment is courtroom.

“As alleged in the indictment, former Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and their recruiter James Jacobson used their money and influence to exploit vulnerable men for their own sexual gratification,” Peace said. “Today’s arrests demonstrate that my office and our law enforcement partners will not rest until anyone who engages in sex trafficking or interstate prostitution, regardless of their wealth or power, is brought to justice.”

amNewYork Metro contacted Abercrombie & Fitch for comment, but a company spokesperson declined for this article.

According to the indictments, as many as 15 men – at least one of whom was just 19 at the time – were involved in the illegal operation and testified before the grand jury.

Each recruit was paid to travel to locations across the United States, including Jeffries' home in Water Mill in the Hamptons, and around the globe to engage in trysts with Jeffries and Smith and in large “sex events” with others to participate.

Federal prosecutors said the men were allegedly recruited by Jacobson, who often auditioned each participant by engaging them in sexual acts.

The ring, according to the indictment, “intentionally recruited heterosexual men, some of whom were unwilling to engage in certain sexual acts, including anal sex,” but still forced them to engage in such acts during the sexual events.

Often, participants in the sex event were given alcohol, muscle relaxants, Viagra, and sometimes penile injections to induce sexual arousal and cooperation. The men involved in the sex trafficking ring were instructed by Jeffries and Smith to wear costumes and use sex toys.

Prosecutors said the three defendants “used a referral system and vetting process that did not allow the men to learn the details of the sex events before their participation.” Instead, they were provided with itineraries that were “similar to the programs often sent to models for photo shoots.”

When they arrived for the alleged shoot, the sex trafficking ring's victims were forced to hand over their communication devices to staff and were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements to keep their involvement secret – with the threat that it could ruin their chance at promised modeling opportunities , which never surrendered.

Some of the men were also anally penetrated or given high-pressure enemas without their consent, prosecutors noted.

Each defendant faces 15 years to life in federal prison if convicted of the sex trafficking charge and up to 20 years in prison for each interstate prostitution charge upon conviction.