Sex trafficking- Abercrombie & Fitch’s former CEO arrested
Trigger warning: This story contains accounts of sexual violence
Despite the controversies that tainted his leadership—including a 2003 class action lawsuit for alleged racial discrimination—few could have predicted the darker secret former Abercrombie & Fitch’s (A&F) CEO Mike Jeffries was concealing. Last year, the FBI opened an investigation after the BBC exposed claims that Jeffries and his partner, Matthew Smith had sexually exploited and abused men at events held in their New York residences and hotels worldwide. On Tuesday, authorities arrested Jeffries, Smith, and their alleged middleman, James Jacobson, charging them with operating a prostitution and international sex trafficking business.
“I tried to say no repeatedly”
When Luke (not his real name) was 20, a man claiming to be a talent scout and executive assistant to A&F’s former CEO contacted him through a modeling website. Residing in Los Angeles, Luke accepted an all-expenses-paid trip to Madrid for a potential modeling job. Luke said the details were vague but he was told he’d meet Jeffries and should expect to be topless. This did not raise any suspicions for him since Abercrombie’s brand was known for its partially dressed young models.
When Luke arrived at the hotel suite in Spain, he was shocked at what he saw. The room was dimly lit and decorated like an Abercrombie store, with erotic photos of men’s abs covering the walls. Employees were role-playing as store staff and instructed him to act like a shirtless greeter. Shortly after, Jeffries and Smith appeared and immediately began touching Luke. Eventually, Jeffries forcibly kissed Luke and performed oral sex. Unable to reciprocate, Luke believed he had lost his chance at the job. He recalls wanting to leave but felt intimidated by the employees who now seemed like security guarding the exits.
“I tried to say no repeatedly. And then I just got kind of convinced to do something. But I constantly was saying no, and I wanted to go.”