Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries indicted for sex trafficking

The defendants are expected to appear in court in Florida. File pic Photo: AFP

Mike Jeffries, the former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch, has been indicted on sex trafficking and prostitution involving dozens of men.

The charges were unveiled on Tuesday, a decade after Jeffries left the retailer he built over 22 years into a popular clothing brand known for sexually charged marketing.

Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and a third defendant James Jacobson, who allegedly served as a recruiter, were each charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution.

Jeffries and Smith are expected to appear later on Tuesday (US time) in federal court in Florida, court records show. All three defendants were arrested on Tuesday.

Brian Bieber, a lawyer for Jeffries, said in an email he would respond in detail to the charges in court.

Lawyers for Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for Jacobson could not immediately be reached for comment. Abercrombie declined to comment.

According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2015 Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to meet them for sex in New York and at hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco, Saint Barthelemy and elsewhere, in the hope it would advance their modelling careers.

Relying on their "vast" financial resources and Jeffries' power at Abercrombie, Jeffries and Smith ran a business "dedicated to fulfilling their sexual desires and ensuring that their international sex trafficking and prostitution business was kept secret, thereby maintaining Jeffries' powerful reputation", the indictment said.

Prosecutors said Jacobson typically conducted "tryouts" where male recruits would first have sex with him. They also said the scheme involved the use of muscle relaxants known as "poppers," large sex toys and high-pressured enemas, among other things.

Men were also required to sign non-disclosure agreements, and pay damages if they told anyone including family and friends what went on.

The probe was led by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York.

Last year, a group of once-aspiring Abercrombie models sued Abercrombie, Jeffries and Smith in Manhattan federal court, saying in a proposed class action that the New Albany, Ohio-based company benefited from Jeffries' sex trafficking.

David Bradberry, the named plaintiff, said Jeffries forced models to take drugs and engage in sex for a chance to appear in Abercrombie catalogues, while the company paid off people who accused Jeffries of sexual abuse or harassment.

Jeffries led Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, making it a successful teen apparel maker known for cologne-filled stores and ads featuring semi-nude models.

He resigned amid criticism that he failed to keep up with changing tastes of teen shoppers.

- Reuters