Shocking details of Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries' horrific 'sexual crimes' against 15 men

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been accused of running an international sex trafficking operation. A bombshell was raised in a 16-count federal indictment.

Jeffries, 80, and his longtime partner Matthew Smith, 61, were arrested Tuesday in West Palm Beach. A third man, Jim Jacobson, was arrested in the same case in Wisconsin.

Federal prosecutors say they spoke to 15 male victims who allege the trio used the power they had thanks to Jeffries' role at Abercrombie to run a prostitution operation between December 2008 and March 2015.

Jeffries worked as CEO for Abercrombie between 1992 and 2014.

The alleged victims say they were given erection drugs against their will, had their genitals shaved, were forced to dress up, and were given “high-pressure enemas.” Some victims were not gay and were given strong erection-enhancing drugs to force them to have gay sex against their will.

Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith (left) are accused of recruiting men for sex parties and forcing them to perform sexual acts

Jeffries worked as CEO for Abercrombie between 1992 and 2014

Some of the men identified as John Does in court documents claim they were targeted even though they were heterosexual and forced into gay sex.

Prosecutors say the victims were paid to travel to places like New York City, England, France, Italy, Morocco and Saint Barthelemy to have sex with Jeffries, Smith and others.

Jeffries allegedly used a company he called the “Jeffries Family Office” to recruit household staff to “facilitate and monitor the sex events.”

According to prosecutors, the employees controlled the entrance and exit of the sex parties and provided the men present with, among other things, muscle relaxants, so-called “poppers”, as well as lubricants, Viagra and condoms.

Staff also instructed alleged victims to “wear costumes, use sex toys or prepare for certain sexual acts,” court documents say.

Smith and Jeffries are accused of injecting “a prescription erection-inducing substance” into men's penises that caused painful, hour-long reactions to induce them to engage in sexual acts.

The men said they were recruited by an intermediary named James Jacobson, who denies any wrongdoing

Jeffries poses with a T-shirt in Columbus, Ohio on February 16, 1998. He is credited with making it a favorite of turn-of-the-millennium teen mall culture

The men were not informed of everything the events would entail, including some of the expected sexual practices, and were required to give up their clothing and cellphones during the meetings and sign nondisclosure agreements afterward, the indictment says.

Jacobson is accused of traveling in the United States and abroad to recruit and interview men for the sex parties. He reportedly used the nicknames “Jim Jake,” “Mrs. Cook' and 'Todd'.

According to the indictment, Jacobson would conduct tryouts with potential candidates by paying them to have sex with him. At Smith's direction, Jacobson also allegedly paid fees to people who recommended men for the sex parties.

But prosecutors say the men were never told “the full extent and nature of the sexual activity required,” which allegedly included “anal intercourse, inserting large sex toys into the anus, and high-pressure enemas by inserting a tube into the anus.”

Carlos Ortiz, deputy chief of the Detective Bureau's Special Victims Unit, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office on October 22, 2024 in New York City

The alleged victims said they believed attending the sex parties could get them modeling opportunities at Abercrombie and that their careers could suffer if they didn't comply.

The sex parties used Abercrombie products, with victims presented with itineraries that made no mention of commercial sex and were “similar to those often sent to models on photo shoots.”

When witnesses threatened to expose the incident, Jeffries and Smith used a security company to monitor and intimidate them into silence, according to a letter prosecutors filed in court.

Barrett Pall, a former model turned life coach and activist, said he felt pressured to attend an event in the Hamptons in 2011

“To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others through the use of the so-called casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning,” Brooklyn-based U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said at a news conference.

“Sexually exploiting vulnerable people is a crime. “And doing so by dangling dreams of a future in fashion or modeling… is no different,” he added.

James Dennehy, deputy director of the FBI's New York office, called the allegations “abhorrent.”

Jeffries' attorney, Brian Bieber, and Smith's attorneys, Joseph Nascimento and David Raben, said via email that they would respond to the allegations in court.

Peace said prosecutors have “a lot of evidence,” including travel records, financial documents and statements from accusers and witnesses.

All three defendants are due in separate courts later Tuesday – Jeffries and Smith in Florida, where they were taken into custody, and Jacobson in St. Paul, Minnesota, after his arrest in Wisconsin.

Jeffries became CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch in 1992 and left the company in 2014. The New Albany, Ohio-based company, which also owns Hollister and other brands, declined to comment on his arrest.

Prosecutors do not allege that any of the company's resources or property were used in the alleged sex scheme.

Jeffries' tenure at Abercrombie & Fitch was marked by his controversial brand image and the equally controversial comments he made about his customer base

Abercrombie said last year it had hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation after the BBC reported similar allegations from a dozen men.

In a lawsuit filed last year in New York, Abercrombie was accused of allowing Jeffries, during his 22-year tenure, to run a sex trafficking organization in which model scouts scoured the Internet for victims. Bieber declined to comment on the allegations at the time.

Abercrombie & Fitch's roots go back to a hunting and outdoor goods store founded in 1892. By the time Jeffries arrived a century later, the brand was already a retail operation.

He was credited with making it a darling of millennial teen mall culture, known for its Art Nouveau preppy aesthetic — and for its sexy ads and in-store events featuring shirtless, muscular male models.