The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has been arrested with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges in New York. According to the allegations, Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and a recruiter named James Jacobson has been involved in the sex trafficking racket. In this sex trafficking racket, they used to exploit the young and financially vulnerable men.
The charges state that Jeffries and Smith forced these men into sexual acts by promising them modelling opportunities with Abercrombie & Fitch. They allegedly hosted sex events where they pressured or deceived these men into participating. According to the prosecutors, Jacobson was tasked with recruiting these men by making fake promises and deceiving them.
The charges against them includes sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. The charge of sex trafficking has a compulsory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and also can result into life sentences whereas the 15 counts of interstate prostitution charges can lead to almost up to 20 years behind the bars.
David Bradberry, an aspiring model shared his tragic experience and said, “It was like he was selling fame. And the price was compliance.”
Michael Stanton Jeffries is an 80-years-old American businessman. He was the Chairman and CEO of clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014. Previously, he promoted the advertising of semi-nude models, racially and sexually insensitive slogans which led to courted controversies.
Mike grew up in Los Angeles. He is the son of Donald R. Jeffries, who was the owner of a chain of party supply stores. He attended Claremont Men's College and the London School of Economics. Following this he got an MBA degree from Columbia Business School in 1968. Jeffries got married to Susan Hansen in 1971. They had a son. In 2023, Mike was reported to be living with his partner named Matthew Smith.
Mike had worked at Abraham & Straus for 12 years, following which he moved to Bullock's in Los Angeles. He then worked at Federated headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio for three years.
In October 2023, a former model alleged that Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith used to find men on the internet and then trapped them by providing money, drugs and promises of recruitment, and then sexually exploited them.