Abercrombie & Fitch’s former CEO Mike Jeffries is in custody after he was arrested in Florida on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges, according to multiple news outlets citing senior law enforcement officials.
In addition to Jeffries, who ran the popular retailer from 1992 through 2014, his partner, Matthew Smith was also arrested in West Palm Beach while an associate, James Jacobson, was arrested in his home state of Wisconsin. Both are being held in connection with sex trafficking charges, NBC News reported on Tuesday morning. All three are expected to appear before a judge on Tuesday and be arraigned at a later date, the network reported.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York has scheduled a news conference for noon on Tuesday to detail the investigation that led to the arrest of the three men on Tuesday.
In October of 2023, the BBC published an investigation alleging that the CEO and his partner were at the center of a trafficking ring, in which 12 young men said they were recruited to attend sex parties the two would host and that sex acts were performed for the couple. Some of the young men told the BBC that they suffered abuse at the events.Â
Jeffries rode the success of Abercrombie & Fitch for over two decades after he transformed the retail brand from an Ohio-based heritage outfitter to the mega-brand geared at teenagers and young adults. The brand particularly zeroed in on young men and placed male beauty and over-sexualization at the forefront of its presentation, featured both in the store’s ads as well as with its staff. Sales dwindled and Jeffries exited in 2014 with a $25 million pension.
As he was exiting, a pension fund invested in the brand brought legal proceedings claiming the company had paid out settlements to staff, according to a BBC Panorama investigation. It was unclear if the complaints and payoffs were for anything sexual.Â
The Hollywood Reporter has emailed Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, seeking comment on his arrest and will update this story if the message is returned.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.