Topline
Mike Jeffries, the former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch accused of coercing aspiring models into sex while operating an international sex trafficking ring, pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges Friday, according to multiple outlets.
A lawsuit alleged Jeffries used the company to operate a sex trafficking ring of young models—an … [+]
Key Facts
Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and James Jacobson were each charged with sex trafficking and engaging in interstate prostitution, the DOJ said Tuesday, leading to Jeffries and Jacobson pleading not guilty to their charges in New York on Friday, NBC News reported.
Prosecutors allege between December 2008 and March 2015, Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson coerced young men into attending “sex events” they believed would provide them with modeling opportunities, though they also believed not complying would harm their careers.
Jeffries and Smith allegedly provided financial resources to arrange the “sex events,” including paying for travel and staff to “facilitate and supervise” the events, while Jacobson traveled across the U.S. to recruit and interview men for them.
During these interviews, Jacobson allegedly required candidates to engage in sex acts with him, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Prosecutors also allege Jeffries and Smith directed others to inject or personally injected some of the prospective models with a “prescription-grade erection-inducing substance” to engage in sex acts “they were otherwise physically incapable or unwilling.”
Neither Brian Bieber—Jeffries’ attorney—nor Abercrombie & Fitch immediately responded to requests for comment, though attorneys representing Jeffries and Smith previously “vehemently denied” any wrongdoing to the BBC.
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Smith, who is jailed in West Palm Beach, Florida, will be arraigned at a later, unspecified date, according to the DOJ.
Crucial Quote
Brad Edwards, an attorney representing the alleged victims, accused Jeffries and Smith of operating “one of the most organized sex trafficking operations in U.S. history” in a statement to Forbes.
Key Background
Jeffries, the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 until 2014, was accused in last year’s civil suit of operating a sex trafficking ring through the company. Edwards Henderson filed a lawsuit last year accusing Jeffries of promising young men modeling jobs at the company over two decades as he lured them to locations around the world for sex—an allegation he has denied. The lawsuit detailed alleged incidents in which prospective models were interviewed, signed non-disclosure agreements and then taken to a separate room where they were forced to take drugs and have sex with Jeffries, his partner Smith and others. Brian Bieber, Jeffries’ attorney, told NBC News the former chief executive would not comment on reports about his personal life. The lawsuit estimated more than 100 victims would seek class-action suits against Jeffries and the company. The suit followed an investigation published by the BBC into Jeffries’ time at Abercrombie & Fitch, which included 12 aspiring models who described “attending or organizing events” involving sex acts with Jeffries and Smith.
Tangent
Jeffries has faced criticism for comments he made while serving as Abercrombie’s chief executive. In 2006, Jeffries told Salon the Abercrombie clothing line was exclusively marketed toward “cool, good-looking people” and the company didn’t “market to anyone other than that.” He later apologized, saying the company was “completely opposed” to discrimination and other “derogatory characterizations.” In 2012, a pilot who worked on Abercrombie’s jet filed a discrimination lawsuit against Jeffries alleging he was fired in favor of a younger man, Bloomberg reported, though the suit was settled shortly after Jeffries was ordered to testify. Abercrombie has also faced criticism, including multiple lawsuits alleging the company discriminated against minorities during the hiring process. In 2009, 17-year-old Samantha Elauf successfully argued Abercrombie discriminated against her after she was told her hijab violated the company’s Look Policy,” which has resulted in other lawsuits against the company.