Shocking details of Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries’ horrific ‘sex crimes’ against 15 men

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

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

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

Jeffries worked as the CEO for Abercrombie between 1992 and 2014. 

The alleged victims say they were forcibly given erection drugs and had their genitals shaved against their will, were made to dress up and subjected to ‘high-pressure enemas.’ Some victims were not gay and were given the powerful erection-causing drugs so they could be forced into gay sex against their will. 

Jeffries worked as the 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 straight and forced to have gay sex. 

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

Jeffries allegedly used a company he named the Jeffries Family Office to recruit household staff to ‘facilitate and supervise the Sex Events.’ 

Prosecutors say the staff controlled the entry and exit to the sex parties and provided the men who attended with muscle relaxants known as ‘poppers,’ as well as lubricant, Viagra and condoms, among other items.

The staff also directed alleged victims to ‘wear costumes, use sex toys or prepare for particular sexual acts,’ according to court documents.

Smith and Jeffries are accused of injecting men in their penises with ‘a prescription-grade erection-inducing substance’ that caused painful, hourslong reactions to get them to engage in sex acts.

The men said they were recruited by a middleman identified as James Jacobson, who denies any wrongdoing

Jeffries poses with a shirt in Columbus, Ohio, in February 16, 1998. He was credited with transforming it into a darling of turn-of-the-millennium teen mall culture

The men weren’t informed of all that the events would entail, including some of the sexual practices they’d be expected to engage in, and they were required to give up their clothes and cell phones during the gatherings and sign non-disclosure agreements afterward, the indictment said. 

Jacobson is accused of travelling in the US and abroad to recruit and interview men for the sex parties. He allegedly used the nicknames ‘Jim Jake,’ ‘Mrs. Cook’ and ‘Todd.’

According to the indictment, Jacobson would conduct ‘tryouts’ with potential candidates by paying them for sex with him. At the direction of Smith, Jacobson also allegedly paid fees to individuals who referred men for the sex parties.

But prosecutors say the men were never told ‘the full extent and nature of the sexual activity that would be required’ which allegedly included ‘anal intercourse, the insertion of large sex toys into the anus, and high-pressured enemas administered by inserting a hose into the anus.’

Carlos Ortiz, Deputy Chief at Detective Bureau Special Victims Division, speaks during a press conference at the US Attorney’s office on October 22, 2024 in New York City

The alleged victims say they believed attending the sex parties could provide them with model opportunities with Abercrombie and that their careers could suffer if they did not comply.

The sex parties incorporated Abercrombie products, with victims being given itineraries for it that did not mention commercial sex and ‘resembled those often sent to models for photo shoots.’

When witnesses threatened to expose what was going on, Jeffries and Smith used a security company to surveil and intimidate them into silence, according to a letter that prosecutors filed in court. 

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

‘To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using 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 human beings is a crime. And doing so by dangling dreams of a future in fashion or modeling … is no different,’ he added. 

James Dennehy, the assistant director of the FBI’s New York office, called the allegations ‘abhorrent.’

Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, and Smith’s lawyers, Joseph Nascimento and David Raben, said by email they would respond to the allegations in court. 

Peace said prosecutors have ‘a lot of evidence,’ including travel records, financial documents and testimony from accusers and witnesses. 

All three defendants are due later Tuesday in various courts — 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 in 2014. The New Albany, Ohio-based company, which also encompasses Hollister and other brands, declined to comment on his arrest.

Prosecutors don’t allege that the company’s resources or property were used in the alleged sex scheme.

Jeffries’ reign at Abercrombie & Fitch was dominated by its controversial brand image and the equally controversial remarks he made about his customer base

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

A lawsuit filed in New York last year accused Abercrombie of allowing Jeffries to run a sex-trafficking organization during his 22-year tenure, with modeling scouts scouring the internet for victims. At the time, Bieber declined to comment on the allegations.

Abercrombie & Fitch traces its roots to a hunting and outdoors goods store that was founded in 1892. By the time Jeffries arrived a century later, the brand was a retail also-ran.

He was credited with transforming it into a darling of turn-of-the-millennium teen mall culture, known for its nouveau-preppy aesthetic — and for its sexy ads and store events featuring shirtless, muscular male models.