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CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) – The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is expected to be indicted Friday on sex trafficking and prostitution charges in a New York court.
Prosecutors allege that for nearly twenty years, Michael Jeffries, his partner and a third man enticed men to participate in sex parties by setting up a model offer for a clothing retailer, once famous for its preppy, All-American beauty and marketing. shirtless male models.
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In the charges announced earlier this week, prosecutors said about 15 unnamed accusers were lured by “force, fraud and coercion” to participate in drug-fueled sex parties in New York, England, France, Italy, Morocco and St. Barts between 2008 and 2015. During the events, the men were sometimes directed to wear clothes, use sex toys and endure painful erection injections, according to the lawsuit.
The allegations are in line with allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in media reports and made in a lawsuit against Jeffries, who left Abercrombie in 2014.
Jeffries’ attorney did not immediately return an email seeking comment before he appeared in court Friday afternoon in Long Island, where Jeffries is expected to enter a plea.
An attorney for James Jacobson, an employee of Jeffries who was also to be charged, declined to comment except that his client would plead not guilty.
Jeffries was released on $10 million bond after appearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
His partner, Matthew Smith, who also appeared in court in Florida, was ordered to be arrested after prosecutors raised concerns that the Americans and Britons might flee the country.
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Jacobson, who prosecutors say recruited men to sex parties, was arrested in Wisconsin and released on $500,000 bond during his first appearance in federal court in St. Louis. Paul, Minnesota.
Jeffries took over as CEO of Abercrombie in 1992, overseeing the company’s evolution from its roots as a hunting and outdoor goods store founded in Manhattan in 1892 to the creation of youth shopping culture in the early 2000s.
Abercrombie, in a statement posted on Instagram after the arrests, said it was “shocked and disgusted” by the allegations.
The Ohio-based company, which also owns Hollister clothing, said it had “transformed” its brands and culture in the decade since Jeffries left.
Abercrombie stopped using “sexual” images in marketing materials and ended the practice of calling store employees “models.” It hired an outside law firm last year to conduct an independent investigation into similar allegations against Jeffries.
“Speaking up and coming forward is not easy, and our thoughts go out to those who have bravely spoken out as part of the agency’s investigation,” the company wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind, and we are willing to cooperate fully with law enforcement as the legal process progresses.”
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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
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