The former chief executive of the
Abercrombie and Fitch clothing empire will face charges of sexually assaulting
and trafficking male models at events around the world, media reported Tuesday.
Ex-CEO Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the pair’s alleged
go-between were arrested by authorities early Tuesday, the BBC reported.
Prosecutors in the New York borough of Brooklyn are expected to give
details of the case at a media briefing at 1600 GMT.
CNN reported that the allegations are that between December 2008 and March
2015, Jeffries and his two accomplices would recruit aspiring male models who
were then lured to parties, given drugs and forced into sexual encounters.
“Today’s arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who were
victimized by these individuals,” said Brittany Henderson, a lawyer
representing victims of the alleged crimes.
“Their fight for justice does not end here. We look forward to holding
Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and
ensuring that this cannot happen again,” she added in a statement to AFP.
The case stems from a 2023 BBC investigation, “The Abercrombie Guys: The
Dark Side of Cool,” in which several men spoke out about signing
non-disclosure agreements for sex events allegedly run by Jeffries.
Abercrombie and Fitch has previously said it is “appalled and disgusted” by
the allegations about Jeffries’s behavior and has “zero tolerance for abuse,
harassment or discrimination of any kind.”
Jeffries left Abercrombie in 2014 with a golden parachute worth 25 million dollars
according to corporate filings.(AFP)
